Shadow Kissed
by KishKiss
Summary: When Kish starts to see ghosts of his past, he simply thinks he's gone a bit crazy. His brothers call the Mews for help and they visit the planet they saved for the first time. Have the dead come back for revenge? Or are they here to help fight a new evil? Story is better than summary...hopefully
1. Chapter 1

**Shadow Kissed- Prologue**

**I was having a serious case of writer's block for Off The Deep End, and I thought of this but felt it was too late in that story to introduce this so I just decided to make a whole new story. It is completely unrelated to Off The Deep End though some of my OCs will be present. Please review and let me know if I should continue. The idea came from Richelle Mead's books. I do not own TMM!**

Kisshu's head pounded as he stared at the pale forms that filled the room. Their mouths were open, but no sound came out, their arms stretched towards him though they didn't touch him. He had the feeling they were beckoning him to follow. He shook his head, rubbing his eyes, hoping it was all some weird side effect of something he ate.

They pressed around him, vying for his attention but unable to say anything. The green haired alien looked at the faces, noticing the mixture of humans and Cyniclons. He recognized faces of people who had died years before, of famine and cold temperatures, his planet unable to sustain them. He saw the faces of humans who had died in the Chimera attacks. A group of ghosts stepped forward, and as he took in their faces, he reeled back in horror.

It was his friends. A pale outline of Ichigo, Pie, Tart, Masaya and himself stood in front of him, mouths open as though they wanted to tell him something. He backed away, but found the group of ghosts had surrounded him. Unlike the others, he could almost completely see through these, their bodies flickering when another ghost got too close. And then they parted, revealing a couple whose anguished faces broke Kish's heart.

It was his parents.

They reached out their arms in a welcoming embrace and only the thought that they had been dead for almost ten years kept Kish from throwing himself at them. His mother dropped her arms slowly, gesturing to all of the spirits that filled the room.

"Join us." Her voice was so faint that Kish though he had imagined it. The faint outline of himself stepped towards Kish and an undeniable gravity pulled Kish towards himself. Before the ghost could touch him, Kish realized what would happen the moment they connected.

He would die.

Kish reared back and bolted out of the room, the sound of tormented wails billowing behind him.

**Soooo that's it. Not sure yet if I want to make this a whole story or what so let me know what you think! Please and thank you!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Shadow Kissed Chapter 1- A Cry For Help**

**So once again this is my new story that I will be writing in between Off The Deep End postings. It is not in any way connected with OTDE except for the fact that some of my OCs will be in this story. I do not own TMM and please review/follow/favorite and let me know if you like it so far. **

Kisshu watched as the council assembled, swapping greetings. Once they were settled into their chairs around the table, he called them to order. The men stared at him, waiting for him to speak.

"The Mew Aqua is still working well and our planet is thriving." The others nodded in agreement. Each of the Cyniclons were governors of various places across the planet and they met once a month to give updates on how their region was faring.

"Lettuce Island is doing exceptionally well. The sea now supports many different types of marine life. We saw a whale pod last week." Monty, the oldest on the council proudly reported. He was in charge over the small peninsula that branched off the main land and into the ocean. Pie was taking samples from the ocean this week. Before the Mew Aqua, the ocean had been too acidic for life, but now it teemed with fish and mammals.

"We have mined many new resources in the Mint Mountains. The mining town has grown so big we have to build a new school for all of the children." Another man boasted. The whole mountain range was named Mint Mountains and the town shared the name. They were blue and full of riches, just like their name sake.

"The scientists in Pudding Forest have found hundreds of new animals including ten new species of monkeys." The man who governed the less populated city of Pudding Forest reported. Tart was currently studying the plant life out there. It was a huge rainforest, filled with wild plant and animal life.

"Zakuro Plains is having a baby boom. The Cyniclon population will be up in no time." Another man spoke of the vast flat lands that covered the eastern side of the land mass. The food farms were grown there and most of the domestic farm animals like horses and cattle were bred and kept on the plains. It was the bread basket of the planet.

"And of course here in Ichigo City we're expanding our knowledge about everything possible. We've almost finished all of the building of the main city but the suburbs are still under construction. We've also constructed two new highway systems going through the city, one for ground cars and one for hover cars." Toge, Kish's best friend and the governor of Ichigo City spoke. Kish, Pie and Tart hadn't taken a position as governor, deciding instead to let the planet develop on its own. They had handpicked a group of men and then presented them to the people to vote on who would represent their lands. Their people had lived under Deep Blue's oppression for far too long, it was time they tasted a little bit of freedom.

Not everybody agreed with the new system though. There was a ragtag group of aliens who thought their society should be ruled by an iron fist. They called themselves The Providers, which didn't make much sense to Kish. They weren't really doing anything to be worried about at the moment, simply protesting the voting and making public speeches. Kish hoped they would quiet down in time.

The meeting ended quickly, with no major news to report, and Kish retired to his quarters. A massive head ache was suddenly beating against his temple and as he lay down, he imagined something flashed in the air. The sound of something crashing to the floor alerted him that it wasn't just his imagination. The green haired alien bolted upright, the dagger he kept hidden under his pillow clutched in his hand. He saw the pile of documents he had brought from Earth scattered on the floor.

"Who's there?" He asked, scanning the room for any sign of intrusion. No one else was in the room and Kish knew that they'd have to be the size of a mouse to fit through the vents on the ceiling. Kish swung himself out of bed, picking the papers and books up from the floor. They were various accounts on how the governments of any great civilization from Earth had been run, how they treated their people and how rulers were decided. He sighed as he set the stack back on the desk, deciding he needed to take a vacation from all of this. He was defiantly over stressed and over worked. Turning, he let out a startled yell when he came face to face with….

Himself.

The pale outline of him flickered in front of him, its mouth open as though it was trying to tell him something. Kish just stared at it, wondering again if he was going crazy. The ghost, if you could call an apparition of yourself a ghost, looked more and more agitated as Kish watched. It's mouth was moving frantically, it's hand gestures mirroring Kish's when he got frustrated. Finally Kish understood that he really _was_ trying to communicate with him.

"What do you want? Why do you guys keep showing up?" He asked, not sure what he was expecting. Not like the ghost could answer. The thing nodded its head and flickered over to the desk. He reached up and pushed one of the books off again, looking sadly at Kish as it thumped to the floor.

"Well if all you're going to do is mess with my stuff, I would appreciate it if you left me alone." Kish was annoyed now, not understanding why the spirit kept knocking stuff over. The outline gave him one last sad look and disappeared.

"Good riddance." Kish growled as he bent to pick the book up. It was a book he hadn't read yet, the cover showed two groups of people fighting, each holding a different flag. Its title was emblazoned across the top in bright red letters, "The War on Communism and Why it Starts With You." Kish set it on his night stand, meaning to read it when he woke up from a well deserved nap. As soon as he closed his eyes, another sound sent his jerking up right again. The air shimmered near him and Pie appeared. His brother's face was creased with worry and Kisshu was instantly alarmed.

"What is it?" He asked, not wasting time with greetings. Pie ran his hands through his purple-grey hair, not knowing how to start.

"Well, I….I have got to tell you something. It sounds a little crazy but please hear me out."

Kish immediately knew what had happened and what his brother was about to say. In some ways it made him feel better and it also worried him even more. Pie sighed and decided just to say it.

"Kisshu, I have been seeing ghosts."

**I know it's short but this was sort of a set up chapter. I needed to describe some of the government and the new planet. Also you should remember some of the things talked about in this chapter because they do come back to haunt you….(lol you see what I did there?) any who, please review/follow/favorite and let me know what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Shadow Kissed Chapter 2- Rainforests and Old Friends**

**Thank you to everyone who has review/favorited/followed! It's much appreciated. I also forgot to mention that it has been two years since the final battle and there was no A la Mode. So I know a lot of you are confused about the Ichigo, Masaya, Kish, Tart and Pie ghosts but I assure you it will all be explained in a later chapter. However, it looks like our friend Pie is having a little problem, read on to find out all about it!**

Kisshu stared at his adopted brother in shock. He wasn't sure whether to be thrilled or terrified with this news. It meant that Kish wasn't going crazy but it also meant something really strange was going on. Pie looked uncomfortable with Kish's silence.

"Kisshu I know it sounds insane but I have been seeing the spirits of people. Most are Cyniclons that died before we brought the Mew Aqua home or humans that died when we attacked Tokyo, but I saw your parents and I saw….well… I saw us." He stammered, thinking Kish thought he was crazy.

"You mean you see faint outlines of you, me, Tart, Masaya and Ichigo." Kish shook his head, wanting desperately to understand what was happening to them.

"So they have visited you as well?" Kish nodded to answer Pie's question. The older Cyniclon sighed. "Then I guess there is only one thing to do."

"What?" Kish asked in confusion, wondering if the ghosts had told Pie something.

"We need to find Taruto."

***The Next Day and Many Miles Away***

"How in the world can he enjoy traipsing through this all the time?" Kish complained as he smacked into another bush, sending a barrage of warm water splashing down his head. Pie and him had to leave the hover car back on the road, seeing as they hadn't laid any metal down in the forest for the car's magnets to levitate over. The air was hot and humid, which caused Kish's hair to frizz up into a green halo around his head. Clouds of annoying insects buzzed around them, attempting to feed on their blood. The poofy green haired alien had taken to slashing through the dense foliage with his swords, his annoyance obvious with every stroke. Pie walked along behind him, chuckling at his younger sibling.

"Firstly, because Tart can manipulate the plants. Secondly because he remembers he can teleport." Pie snickered and watched as Kish face palmed himself. Within a few seconds the pair was standing outside the gates of the town. "And lastly I think Tart feels closer to Pudding when he is here. Is that not why you stay in Ichigo City and I go to Lettuce Island?"

"I stay in Ichigo City because that is the capital and I have to help run everything. I don't even think about Ichigo anymore." Kish said, passing through the simple gateway that led into the town. Pie rolled his eyes, knowing Kisshu was lying but decided to let it go. The buildings in the town of Pudding Forest were simple compared to those of Lettuce Island or Ichigo City but were much more sophisticated than the structures the Cyniclons had a few years ago. Only the main roads here were paved, though there was really no reason since no one who lived here had a car. You walked here from the highway where Kish and Pie had left the hover car or you took the only long range hover car, one that was powered by two huge jet lifters instead of being pushed into the air by magnetic repulsion. The latter was reserved for emergency's only. Most of the people who lived here were scientists and their families, who spent most of their time studying things in the Forest anyway.

"It looks deserted. Where is everybody?" Pie asked, looking at the dark windows and empty streets. Kish shrugged and pointed to the line of smoke rising from the center of the village.

"I'd say someone's throwing a little bonfire." Now that they were closer they could hear the rumble of many voices. They walked quickly down the deserted road and were soon at the village square. People milled around a large fire, roasting a variety of things. Kish glimpsed marshmallows, various vegetables and something that looked like a large rat. "Tart's not one to miss a party."

"You're right Kish." The pair turned to see Tart hovering in the air behind them, his pigtails out and hair flowing freely down his back. He had grown a few inches and out grown his babyish features. Not that Kish and Pie hadn't changed as well. Kish had started keeping his hair in a single braid down his back, though he had kept his half shirt. Kish liked to think it showed off the sculpted muscles he had worked so hard on. Pie wore his hair down and it hung just a little past his shoulders. He had ditched the arm covers he used to wear and opted for a shirt much like Kish's. They both had grown into muscular but slim men and were never without admirers. The village people stopped and stared at the three brothers, the three who had saved their world. Then, giving them privacy, they turned back to the fire.

"Is it really you this time? It must be since you're not pale and you can talk." Tart looked observantly into their faces, as though making sure they were real. Pie and Kish, groaned and glanced at each other, knowing this meant one thing.

Tart was seeing ghosts as well.

Once Tart had led them to the house he stayed at, they were able to talk about the sightings. Kish of course had started seeing the spirits a few weeks ago, Pie had his first encounter a couple days ago and Tart had seen them this morning.

"But Masaya was the same as the others. He wasn't faint like us and Ichigo." Tart said but nobody knew what that meant.

"What do they want with us? Do they want revenge or are they not able to rest peacefully?" Pie asked, hoping there was a simple answer to their problem. Kish shook his head.

"They don't seem violent, just confused and irritated with themselves and us. I think they want to tell us something but it's hard for them to talk or do stuff. The first time I saw them my mother told me to join them and then yesterday my ghost self pushed books off of my desk." Kish explained, knowing that if they spirits wanted revenge, all they would have to do was touch them.

"Plus," Tart spoke up again, "How could our spirits be trying to find peace if we're not dead?" Once again nobody knew how to answer him. But thinking about the spirits of those still living, an idea flashed into Kish's mind.

"You don't think Ichigo has been seeing them as well do you?" He asked, the others' eyes widened, the idea making perfect sense to them as well.

"She very well might be. Should we try to contact the Mews?" Pie was worried the Lettuce might be haunted by the ghosts as well.

"Save yourself some worry Pie. I doubt Lettuce is seeing them as well." Kish rolled his eyes, knowing the older alien's thoughts went automatically went to the green Mew.

"I was worried about all of them!" He said indignantly. "How do you know Lettuce is not seeing them as well?"

"I don't know for sure but her outline wasn't there. I'm beginning to think it's got something to do with the people whose outlines show up even though they aren't dead." Kish explained.

"Can we just head back to the capital and call them already?" Tart said impatiently, a little eager for the opportunity to talk to Pudding.

"Let us go then." Pie nodded, beginning to walk out the door.

"Look who's forgotten he can teleport _now_." Kish snickered.

***Back in Ichigo City a Few Hours Later***

The Cyniclons watched the screen anxiously, waiting to see if the call would go through. They hadn't contacted Earth in over a year and though Kish had pretended to not care, he was nervous to see Ichigo again. The screen flickered and Ryou's face appeared.

"Kisshu?" He asked, startled to be getting a call from the aliens. And, to be honest, Kish was defiantly not his favorite person.

"Hey Ryou. We need to talk to Ichigo." The alien said, not exactly thrilled to see the blonde either. He gave a sharp nod and disappeared upstairs to retrieve the red head. Kish wrung his hands nervously, wondering how she would react to seeing him. He barely stopped himself from gasping when she walked down the stairs. Ichigo's hair had grown out a bit and now hung in wavy layers down her back. She had stayed about the same height but filled out a bit, now a bit curvy. She was beautiful.

"Kish?" She asked, a smile blooming across her face at seeing his face. The smile made Kish's heart beat faster.

"We're here too you know." Tart pouted from the corner of the screen.

"Hi Tart. Hi Pie." She laughed but then her eyes grew serious. There was only one reason why they would contact her again after so long.

"We need to ask you something. Have you seen any…" Kish started to ask but Ichigo cut him off.

"Ghosts? Yeah I have but I'm a little more concerned about the ones who aren't actually dead yet." She sighed, glad that she wasn't the only one seeing the dead… or the not so dead.

"You mean you've seen them? Do you know what they want?" He asked, not sure yet whether he was happy she was seeing them too. Ichigo looked surprised.

"Yeah of course." She said and Kish raised an eyebrow.

"What is it? What do they want?" He asked eagerly, hoping to put everything to rest. But Ichigo's answer was far from what he was hoping for.

"Well that's why I was about to call you." Ichigo took a deep breath and looked into Kish's eyes. Kish felt like they were separated by a few inches rather than a few lightyears. He wanted nothing more than to lean forward and close the gap between them. _Focus._ He reminded himself just as Ichigo opened her mouth again.

"They want me to come to your planet."

**So there's chapter two! Please review/favorite/follow and let me know what you think. I feel like I need to explain about the hover cars. This idea actually comes from the "Uglies" series by Scott Westerfield. In the books, the characters have hover cars that have magnetic lifters below them and push against the metal grid laid under their cities. Long range hover cars don't use the metal grid and fly using giant high powered fans.**

**My thoughts and prayers go out to those in Oklahoma right now.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Shadow Kissed Chapter 3- We're Going on A Trip**

**Not gonna lie, after writing that title I totally started singing the "Little Einsteins" theme song. Don't judge me. Any who, thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/followed, I love knowing what you guys think! This is sort of a filler chapter but hopefully I'll figure out just where exactly I'm going with this story by next update. Enjoy!**

**I do not own TMM**

"Why would they tell you to come here?" Pie asked from the corner of the screen. Ichigo shrugged, she had gotten over the shock of it all days ago.

"I don't know. At first they just opened their mouths and acted like they wanted to tell me something and then a couple days ago, they actually spoke. It was very quiet and broken but it clearly said that the Mews and I needed to go to your planet." Ichigo explained as Kisshu's eyes narrowed in thought.

"What are you going to do?" He asked her. The red head looked at him curiously, as though it should be obvious.

"Well, I can't speak for the other Mews, but if you need help then I'm more than happy to come up there. Especially if it will get these ghosts to leave me alone." She rolled her eyes. "Nothing like waking up in the morning to see the ghost of your dead ex-boyfriend staring you down." She did seem a little sad when she talked about Masaya, though they had broken up over a year ago due to him cheating on her. He needed someone who was "a little more human" apparently. Kish's eyes widened in surprise at the news.

"Masaya is dead?" He asked. Ichigo nodded slowly.

"He was in a car accident two days ago." She said, looking down in embarrassment. She knew she should be more upset about his death but after the way he had treated her after the final battle, she couldn't bring herself to be remorseful. Kish wondered at her behavior, but then something else crossed his mind. A hideous thought occurred to him but he decided not to voice it yet.

"We really don't need any help." He protested. "Nothing's wrong here." A knock on the door stopped Ichigo from replying. Kish opened the door, talking in hushed but urgent voices with whoever was on the other side. Shaking his head, he closed the door and returned to the screen. Pie looked at him questioningly, but waited for him to explain.

"That was Monty." The green haired alien said grimly. "The rebel group attacked Lettuce Island." Ichigo frowned.

"Send us a ship. It looks like you could use some help."

***The Next Day***

Ichigo and the Mews sat on the ship Kish had sent for them, staring in awe at all of the lights and buttons. Ryou had decided to take them, seeing as he was the only one who could fly a space ship (something he was refusing to explain).

"Ichigo and Pudding please don't touch anything here in the control room. Actually, please don't touch anything at all." He smirked at the indignant girls. The red head stomped off angrily while Pudding immediately ignored his request and attempted to push as many buttons as possible. Lettuce laughed and pulled the blonde girl away from the control room, leaving Ryou to fly in peace. The Mews searched the ship, appreciating it's high tech rooms and shiny gadgets.

"So what did you tell your parents about where you were going?" Mint asked Ichigo, pulling her down into a chair in one of the sitting rooms stationed around the ship. The room was plush; a light colored paint adorned the walls while thick fancy curtains blocked the windows. The rug was soft under Ichigo's feet, as she had discarded her shoes in her room.

"Café Mew Mew is having a winter retreat for the workers since school is out until spring. My dad freaked a bit when he found out Ryou would be going, especially when my mom asked if Ryou was the 'cute blonde one'." She laughed remembering the scene at the dinner table last night. Mint snickered and called to Lettuce who had been walking by, her nose stuck in a pamphlet.

"Do you realize they literally sent us a Cyniclon version of a cruise ship?" She asked, waving the paper around. Ichigo realized she was right, the ship was huge and filled with all types of luxuries, including a wait staff who said they'd make the 'Saviors of Their Planet' anything they wanted. Ichigo could defiantly get used to this.

"I think they went a little overboard for six people." The green haired Mew fretted. Ichigo shrugged and smiled as one of the Cyniclons brought her a Strawberry Daiquiri. Lettuce looked at her incredulously.

"What? This is their job!" She stressed the word 'job'. Lettuce grumbled but Ichigo sipped her drink contentedly. She hadn't been pampered in a long time and she wasn't about to let this opportunity go to waste. Mint ordered a glass of water and when the man turned to Lettuce, she broke down and asked for whatever Ichigo was drinking. He nodded and Ichigo noticed something weird. As the man walked off, she looked at Lettuce and Mint.

"Did you notice he wouldn't make eye contact with us?" They both nodded, Lettuce looking ashamed and Mint looking unsurprised.

"They see us as their superiors." The bird Mew explained. "They're supposed to treat us with the utmost respect." She sniffed as though the others should know and expect this. Ichigo didn't like it though and she could tell by the look on the girl's face that Lettuce didn't either. The alien's submissive behavior continued as he brought back their drinks and practically begged them to order something else.

"You can look at us you know." Ichigo said softly, earning a small hiss of disapproval from Mint. The man shook his head.

"You saved our planet. You are heroes." He said, his head still bent. Ichigo reached over and gently nudged his head up to look her in the eyes. His own eyes, a light purple color, widened as he took in her features for probably the first time in real life.

"We're just normal girls. Well, Zakuro's actually famous on our planet and Mint is filthy rich, but at the end of the day, you don't need to revere us. We're just people." She said and the alien nodded, his eyes still fixated on her.

"I am sorry if we seem a bit extreme to you, but you do not understand what it was like on our planet. We never knew if we were going to make it. When you let us have the Mew Aqua, you brought us back from the brink of death. Our people hail you as heroes and legends, our children are told tales of the brave and beautiful Mews who helped save us. Our major cities and landmarks are named after you." He explained, the look of wonder and awe still in his eyes.

"What is it like now? Your planet?" She asked and the man asked for permission to sit. She agreed and he sat across from her, his eyes lighting up at the thought of talking to her about the planet she had saved. In his mind, she was a super hero, no matter what she said. Her kindness only reinforced that image in his mind.

"Our planet is beautiful and thriving now." His hands waved through the air as he described each of the places that had been named after them. Ichigo smiled when she heard about the capital city, Lettuce blushed when she heard of the peninsula and Mint smirked when told about the rich mountains. He ate up their attention, answering all of their questions and describing everything possible about his home. Then Ichigo asked something that made his blood run cold.

"When I was talking to Kisshu, he said something about the rebels. Is there a problem?" Ichigo saw the man's reaction to her question. His ears drooped and his skin paled as he opened his mouth in search of something to say.

"They started out as just a nuisance." He finally said. "Something that was annoying but not anything to worry about. But then they grew stronger, adding numbers to their ranks. They've recently started causing trouble, destroying public things and holding mass demonstrations in the cities. Yesterday they attacked Lettuce Island. They weren't able to do too much but they sent some people to the hospital." He wrung his hands in worry. He apologized and explained that he had some family on the Island.

"But what do they want?" Ichigo pressed, trying to figure out what was motivating these people.

"They want to rule. They believe our planet shouldn't be a democracy but a dictatorship. I don't know if Kisshu can truly see how dangerous they may become." The man slapped a hand over his mouth, his face going white again. "It was not my place to say that."

Ichigo shrugged. "Everyone's allowed to have their own opinions." The man said he needed to return to work and quickly bid them each goodbye. Ichigo excused herself to her room, wanting to go think over everything that had happened. As soon as she walked in the door, her head started to pound, a raging hammering inside her skull. She gripped her forehead and turned the light on. A light shape sat on her bed, staring at her as though it had been waiting for her. The ghost, which Ichigo somehow knew was Kish's deceased mother, gave her a sharp nod and disappeared. Ichigo sighed as the head ache started to recede.

"Well at least we know we're going the right way."

**Sorry this chapter was so boring. The Mews will land next chapter so that will hopefully shake things up a bit. Please review/follow/favorite and let me know what you think.**

**P.s. I have added a OC list and a list of places in my stories on my profile if you ever get confused or forget who someone is!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Shadow Kissed Chapter 4- A Strange New Land**

**Well hello again, sorry that everything is a little off since I didn't post anything on Saturday. I was baby sitting and watching a two year old doesn't leave any time to take a break to write. Hopefully this chapter is a little more eventful than the last and I'm not completely boring you guys. I do not own TMM! On with the story!**

The ship shuddered as it released its landing gear. The Mews pressed their faces to the windows, beholding the alien landscape. Though the terrain was not all that different from regions you would find on Earth, but they were all tinted strange colors. The trees were all different hues of purple, while most of the dirt seemed to be a light green. The water was a dark blue color and the grass was light yellow. The light was a pink tint and Ichigo realized the star that acted like the Cyniclon's sun was a bright pink ball.

"It's our colors." Lettuce breathed, taking in the view. Lettuce was right, almost every natural was some version of one of the Mews colors.

"It's like a big tribute to us!" Pudding crowed and Ichigo could basically hear her ego inflating.

"You can easily see the things they brought from earth because they're natural colors." Zakuro pointed out a small herd of horses running behind a fence. Their brown and white coats stood out against the pastel backdrop. The Mews turned their attention from the windows to watch as Cyniclons rushed about the ship, preparing things to be taken onto land. Ichigo grabbed her backpack, having packed it beforehand so that she could leave as soon as the ship touched down. Over the few days they had spent on the ship, she had talked a lot more with Pilpul, the older Cyniclon man she had conversed with on the first night. He knew a lot about the renewed planet and loved to talk about all of the advances his people had made. Ichigo was surprised to find out just how superior Cyniclon technology was to their own though only a few years ago they had been living underground. Pilpul informed her the underground cities were still used by some, though mostly they were just storage areas and prisons. Some people still lived in the deserted cities, but most found it almost unbearable to be underground after they were finally able to thrive in the outside world. She learned that the rebel groups were small but powerful and had many high up connections. Overall, the world was prospering and the government was shaping up to be a magnificent one.

"It's time to go." Ryou informed them, gripping his own set of luggage. The group of girls followed him to the open hatch and took their first breath of Cyniclon air. It was lighter than the air back home but the humans were still able to breathe properly. A crowd of aliens had gathered at the landing pad, clamoring for a glimpse of the Mews.

"Ichigo!" One yelled out, holding what looked to be a camera in one hand. "Is it true you've broken up with the Blue Knight?" Pilpul, who had accompanied the humans off the ship, told her to ignore the man.

"Don't encourage the paparazzi. Sergeant Kisshu will not be pleased to find they are bothering you." The Mews were surprised to hear the title, but decided to keep it to themselves. Ichigo wouldn't have answered the pap anyway; she was too enveloped in her own thoughts.

_I wonder what it's going to be like to see Kish again. I mean see him in real life. He looked so mature and grown up on the screen, what do I look like to him? Is he still attracted to me? Am I attracted to him?_ The other Mews saw her distraction and left her to her thoughts. Lettuce and Pudding were equally as nervous to see the aliens, both of them remembering feelings they had thought were long gone. Pudding had grown considerably and was now almost as tall as Ichigo. Her hair flowed in a short cut around her head though it still had its golden coloring. Lettuce hadn't grown but had filled out, becoming curvier but still slim. She too had ditched her pigtails and wore her hair in waves down her back. Zakuro and Mint were the only two who still looked basically the same. Mint's dancing kept her figure small and slim, and Zakuro had already been finished growing when she first became a Mew. The girls' thoughts were interrupted when Pilpul cleared his throat, gesturing to a large ornate gate.

"This is Sergeant Kisshu, Sergeant Pie and Sergeant Taruto's home. I do not know who will be home, as Sergeant Kisshu is usually in meetings while Sergeant Pie spends most of his time at Lettuce Island and Sergeant Taruto stays in Pudding Forest. I will leave you here." He bowed and thanked all of them once again for saving his planet. Each of the Mews, even Mint, thanked him for his service and wished him a safe journey back to the ship.

"Well I guess let's ring the door bell." Ryou said, pressing a large button on the post near the gate. A buzzing noise came from it which was soon replaced by static and a muffled voice.

"State your name and your business."

Ryou rolled his eyes. Though he did have lots of money, and quite often indulged himself in his lavish tastes, he had never had much fondness for the security system. Just because you were rich didn't mean you couldn't answer a door.

"It's the Tokyo Mew Mews and we have a meeting with Sergeant Kisshu."

The gate buzzed open, swinging slowly in a wide arc that would have been impressive had the Mews been in some sort of vehicle. However, they were standing on the hot pavement and the gate was moving annoyingly slow. They each squeezed past it before it was fully opened, deciding to skip trying to seem civilized. Ryou led them across the lawn, not bothering to adhere to the voice on the loud speaker begging him to stay off the grass. The team reached the house, greeted by a set of huge ornately carved double doors. Not finding a ringer, Ryou knocked.

"Come in." A small alien opened the door and bowed. "Good day Master Shirogane, Ms. Momomiya, Ms. Aizawa, Ms. Midorikawa, Ms. Fong and Ms. Fujiwara. Sergeant Kisshu is in his study along with Sergeant Pie and Sergeant Taruto. Follow me." He turned and walked through a spacious room. Though the room was large, and much of the furniture hinted at designer origins, it was fairly empty. It lacked the homey feel Ichigo always expected from people's houses, but, according to Pilpul, no one was usually home anyway. The first room was only a prologue to the gigantic rooms to follow, each sparsely populated with décor. The alien butler led them through the rooms with barely enough time for anyone to appreciate them. If they had, they might have noticed the subtle reminders of the aliens' time on earth. A black and white picture of Tokyo Tower hung over one of the fireplaces, one room smelled faintly of strawberries and one had a stack of newspapers on the table that depicted the Tokyo Mew Mews fighting crime. As the alien stopped in front of a closed door, all Ichigo could think was that Kish must be very lonely.

Pie looked over as Gerd, their butler, opened the door. His eyes immediately went to the Mew at the back. If possible, Lettuce looked more mature and beautiful than ever. Her long hair had darkened in color and hung in beautiful waves down her back. The oldest Ikisatashi wanted nothing more than to run his fingers through it. He reprimanded himself and forced his mouth closed.

Tart was having a similar reaction to Pudding's new look. He couldn't believe how grown up she looked, though he could tell from the mischievous gleam in her eye that she was still the same crazy girl he had fallen for two years ago. Her blonde hair was a halo around her head and Tart knew that it was soft and fine.

Though Kish had seen Ichigo's face on the call a few days before, he was not prepared to see her in real life. She was absolutely beautiful and his heart beat double time when he caught her gaze. He didn't care what it took, now that Masaya was out of the picture, he was going to make her his.

Of course the Mews weren't immune to the aliens' new looks either. Well, Mint and Zakuro were but the other three most certainly weren't. Lettuce stared appreciably at Pie's biceps, while Pudding couldn't help but gawk at Tart's new chiseled features. Ichigo wasn't sure what she liked most, Kish's longer hair or his sculpted muscles. Ryou cleared his throat, clearly finding all of this staring a bit uncomfortable. They all snapped out of their reveries and attempted to be normal, though they all snuck glances at each other.

"Welcome Mews. Thank you for coming on such short notice." Pie rose from his seat and greeted the girls and Ryou. Kish got up and started towards Ichigo but was blocked by the blonde human.

"Why exactly have we been called here?" He asked, trying to seem imposing. Kish peeked past him at Ichigo, who shook her head, indicating she hadn't filled everyone in on what had been happening.

"You may want to sit down." The green haired alien recommended, gesturing to the sitting area just outside the office. They followed him over to it and the Mews managed to fit on one couch while Ryou took a love seat. The Ikisatashis preferred to hover in the air instead of sitting.

"Well…it's really hard to explain…but we've been seeing ghosts." Kish mumbled, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. Everyone but Pie, Tart, and Ichigo looked at him incredulously. Mint burst out laughing while Ryou looked extremely annoyed.

"You mean to tell me we flew all the way here because you're going crazy?" The man spoke, his voice a sneer. Zakuro glared at Mint who managed to recover herself and tried to cover her laugh with coughs. Kish didn't answer, his hand at the back of his neck. Ichigo decided to help him out.

"It's not just Kish. Pie, Tart and I have also seen them. The ghosts told me to bring the Mews here and help them." She said. The others seemed to take the news better from her, and Mint began to look serious.

"Ichigo aren't you afraid of ghosts?" She asked and the red head blushed.

"Terrified. The first time I saw these ones I screamed so loud it woke up my mom and dad. They ran up the stairs and were basically standing inside a ghost but they didn't see them. The ghosts haven't done anything to hurt me though so I'm not as scared of them." The Mews nodded and began to ponder the situation.

"What are we supposed to be helping you with?" Lettuce asked in a quiet voice. Pie was glad that she didn't seem to share Mint and Ryou's disbelief.

"We do not know." He answered and Ichigo's head snapped up.

"Isn't it obvious? Pilpul told us about how the rebels are getting stronger and they did attack Lettuce Island didn't they?" The cat Mew questioned, wondering why the aliens didn't realize it. Kish nodded, deep in thought.

"The rebels are causing a lot more trouble now, but if it was about them, why didn't the spirits just say so?" His eyes danced with the things spinning within his head.

"I don't think they're very strong. They do as little as possible to get our attention and then whatever they say or do is very important. They don't do things just to do them. Whatever it is, it's an attempt to show us something." Ichigo mused, recalling all of the small gestures the ghosts had done to tell her what they wanted from her. Kish tensed, suddenly remembering the encounter a few days ago. The ghost had repeatedly pushed a book off of his desk. The alien teleported to his room and saw that the book was still laying on his nightstand.

"The War on Communism and Why it Starts With You." He read aloud. Flipping the book open, he noticed that one of the pages was dog eared. He turned to it and skimmed down the page.

"The rise of communism in a country usually has a very humble start. It may begin with a single person, who has an idea in their head about how the country should be run, or it can start with a small group of rebels, united by their beliefs in the rule of a single person or small group of people. They are not to be ignored however, because they can quickly gain support. Numerous governments have been overthrown by what they thought was a harmless group of people. Without ever drawing attention to themselves, this group of rebels will grow into an extremely dangerous force of dictatorship."

Kish stared in horror at the passage. The ghost had been warning him. The Providers had to be dealt with or they could have a revolution on their hands.

**Sorry that this whole chapter was basically a history lesson. Hopefully we'll have some fighting or something next chapter. Please review/follow/favorite and tell me what you think!**

**Happy Memorial Day!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Shadow Kissed Chapter 5 –Lettuce Island**

**So thanks to everyone who has been reading this even though it has been totally boring so far. Hopefully this chapter is a bit more interesting. **

Kisshu teleported back to the sitting area, his shocked face immediately alerting everyone that something was wrong.

"They are trying to warn us." He said, showing the passage. Pie and Taruto looked at each other, knowing their planet was still developing and could hardly manage a full scale revolution.

"Well then let's go find them." Pudding suggested, jumping up from the couch. The others looked at her and rolled their eyes, but Pie murmured thoughtfully.

"That may not be a bad idea." Before Ichigo could tell him not to encourage the monkey Mew, he explained himself. "Maybe if we could talk to them and see why they do not agree with our current way of governing, we could repress their anger." Kish nodded thoughtfully, hoping that the rebels would be up for a little talk. Most Cyniclons preferred to fight first and talk later.

"Well how do we find them?" Ichigo asked and the red head was answered by three alien frowns.

"From what I've heard, they're still destroying Lettuce Island." Kish said and grabbed onto Ichigo and Mint. Pie took hold of Lettuce and Ryou while Tart held Pudding and Zakuro.

"Let's do this."

***Lettuce Island***

The aliens stared in horror at what had once been the beautiful thriving city. Most of it was now in ruins and smoking piles marked where the most recent destruction had occurred. Pie's eyes were wide, taking in the place he loved. The Lettuce Library, one of his favorite places to go and think (of Lettuce), was now just a smoldering hunk of left over concrete. The beaches were littered with trash, debris and the bodies of dead marine life. Pie's heart broke as he saw Lettuce bend to stroke the face of a baby whale and she shrieked when she saw the creature's small side rise in a shallow breath.

"Pie! Pie he's still breathing!" She yelled, scooping the calf into her arms. It raised its head slightly, eyeing Lettuce before going limp again. Tears filled her eyes as she felt its life slowly draining away. "Pie please we've got to help him."

Pie nodded, quickly grabbing a hold of Lettuce's arm. He turned to the others and gave another nod.

" Something has caused the water to become acidic again. He will not survive here. We will be back once we have found a place to hold him. Try to find the rebels, and Kisshu, please be diplomatic." He coached his adoptive brother before he, Lettuce and the calf disappeared.

"I'm always diplomatic!" Kish huffed indignantly. Everyone rolled their eyes and turned back to the ruined city.

"This city is massive, how will we ever find them?" Mint asked, gesturing to the expansive structures. The aliens' ear twitched and they swiveled towards the ocean.

"We may be closer than you think." Kish warned just as a huge animal reared up out of the water. It looked to be some kind of giant coy fish, a bright colorful orange with coal black eyes.

And let's not forget the mouth full of razor sharp teeth that was currently spewing some sort of saliva.

"That's what is poisoning the waters again. That chimera is spitting out acid." Kish observed, sounding a little bit horrified and impressed at the same time. Ichigo slapped his arm.

"Great, so now we don't only have to fight the giant fish with teeth but we have to dodge the acid bath coming from that giant fish with teeth's mouth." Mint said sarcastically.

"Go get him girls." Ryou snickered.

"Mew Strawberry!"

"Mew Pudding!"

"Mew Zakuro!"

"Mew Mint!"

"METAMORPHO-SIS!"

The bright lights of their transformations enveloped them, blinding the aliens and Ryou. They each emerged, transformed and battle ready. Kish unsheathed his Dragon Swords while Tart pulled out his clacker balls. Ryou stepped back.

"Considering I don't transform into anything useful or have a cool weapon, I think I'll just sit back here."

The aliens each grabbed onto two Mews and teleported to where the chimera was. Hovering over the water, the weight of the Mews pulled them down a bit but they managed to stay high enough to swing the Mews onto the animal's back. The fish roared, though it sounded more like a bubbly scream, and dove under the water, taking the Mews with it.

Ichigo shrieked and let go, her cat reflexes panicking when she touched the water. Her instincts quickly took her to the surface of the water, her ears pressed to her head in fear. Kisshu plucked her out of the ocean and smirked.

"Afraid of the water kitty?" They watched as the other Mews surfaced, none of them being able to hold onto the fish's slippery scales as it swam through the water. Ichigo's skin suddenly started to burn.

"We've got to get this acid off or it's going to eat up our skin!" She exclaimed, rubbing a gloved hand over her arm. "Plus I have the feeling we won't be able to fight this thing without Lettuce. She's a much better match for it than we are." Kish nodded and he and Tart returned the girls to shore.

"What was that? You didn't even fight it!" Ryou snorted as the Mews glared at him.

"When you can hold onto a giant fish that is hurtling through acidic water, come talk to me about it." Zakuro said icily. Ryou shrugged and suggested that they return to Kish's house so the girls could rinse off. Seeing no better alternative, they aliens teleported back to home base.

***Pie's Laboratory***

The small whale swam slowly in the enclosure Pie had built. It hadn't been very hard, he had simply modified a cloning chamber he had been working on. His healing powers had been of some help to the creature but its anatomy was too different from his own for him to heal it completely. He watched as Lettuce talked to the calf, a power she found as she held it while Pie finished up its temporary home.

"He says he thanks you very much." She translated, giving Pie a large grin. Pie smiled shyly back, looking at Lettuce instead of the whale.

"Tell him he is welcome. Does he have a name?" Lettuce turned back to the animal, making a series of clicks with her tongue. Though Pie heard nothing audible, even to his own super hearing sense, Lettuce shook her head.

"He said his mother was killed before she could name him. He misses her a lot. The man with the eye patch killed her." Lettuce's voice was sad. She had already grown very fond of the small whale and the thought of anyone hurting his family enraged her.

"So we shall have to give him a name." Pie decided and Lettuce cheered up a bit.

"What about Kujiro?" She suggested and Pie smiled at the choice.

"I think it is perfect. What do you think?" He asked the whale who swam in a happy circle.

"That's settled then. Do you think we should return to the others?" Pie started to reply but his ears perked up, catching some sound that was too faint for Lettuce's.

"We do not need to. They are back." He led her out of the lab and down the hallway to the foyer. They were shocked to find four soaked Mews, two annoyed looking aliens and one non emotional blonde human.

"What happened to you?" Lettuce asked as Pie went to retrieve some towels. They waited for him to return before explaining. As Pie listened to the recount, he nodded somberly. He turned to say something to Lettuce but she interrupted him, face red with anger.

"You mean they're poisoning the whole ocean and killing all of those animals simply to make a point?" She yelled; understandably upset seeing as her animal was a marine creature. Kish nodded and shrugged.

"We can't fight the fish without your help. You're the only one who can fight underwater. Tart, Pie and I can go underwater but all of our energy would be spent creating an air bubble for us to breathe." He told her and Lettuce nodded grabbing her pendant from her pocket.

"Mew Lettuce! METAMORPHO-SIS!" She yelled, a dazzling green light bursting around her. The others looked away and when the light faded, Lettuce stood ready. Her ribbons lashed angrily and her eyes burned with passion.

"Let's do this."

**I'm sorry these are such short chapters but it's really only supposed to be a mini series, though with the plotline I have in mind it may end up being a lot longer than I expected. Please bear with me until the story gets a little more developed! Thanks for reading. Please review/follow/favorite and tell me if you like the story!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Shadow Kissed Chapter 6- A Tale of Restoration**

**I'm going to skip the intro and just get to the mean animal killer butt getting his butt kicked.**

The battle ready Mews stood on the shore, their weapons raised as they watched Lettuce dive into the water. Her form immediately started to glow, her legs fusing together into a brilliant white tail. It propelled her through the water and she quickly approached the creature.

"Ichigo needs to get out there so she can finish it once Lettuce attacks!" Zakuro yelled over the roar of the Chimera. Kisshu gave her a curt nod and scooped Ichigo up into his arms. She blushed, but then remembered they had more pressing things to worry about. Still, it was hard to not stare up at his determined face when he was holding her pressed against his chest…

Lettuce felt the acid sting her face but it did not do any further harm. She pulled up, stopping a few feet from the raging Koi. The water was bubbling dangerously around its large fins, Lettuce's powerful tail the only thing keeping her from spinning through the water. As the green Mew propelled herself up through the water, the fish spewed another bout of acid. It fell harmlessly around Lettuce as she soared up into the air, finding that her tail kept her moving through the air exactly as it did in the water. She swam to the face of the fish, her eyes turning the same blinding white color as her tail. The light shined out, illuminating the snapping teeth of the chimera. Lettuce spun thrusting her castanets forward.

"Ribbon Lettuce Restoration!" She yelled a battle cry no one had heard before. A huge blast of white light came from her hands enveloping the fish. The fish exploded in a large ball of light, spreading over the ocean and city. The Mews watched in awe as the city rebuilt itself, the ruins reforming their original structures. The light lifted the animal bodies renewing their life and placing them back into the water. Slowly the light faded from Lettuce's eyes and the Mew slumped, plummeting towards the water.

Suddenly Pie was beneath her, cradling her unconscious body in his arms. He teleported back to the shore, as did Kish and Ichigo.

"Guess she didn't need me after all." Ichigo mused, her eyes wide with surprise.

"That was awesome!" Pudding crowed, waving her arms in a recreation of the battle.

"Well it was certainly unexpected." A cold voice said from behind the group. They turned, the Mews raised their weapons and Pie pulled the still unconscious Lettuce closer to him. A white haired alien with jet black eyes stood behind them, a frown on his face. Though she had a bad feeling about him, Ichigo couldn't help but notice how attractive he was. He had a strong jaw and flawless white skin. Long legs accentuated his toned torso, peeking out from the half shirt he wore.

"And you are?" Kish asked, thinly veiled hostility in his voice. The boy chuckled, a dark sound that made Ichigo shiver.

"My name is Marthox." He bowed, mocking respect. Ichigo's dislike of him grew at the look of cold humor in his eyes.

"And why are you here Marthox? The city was abandoned due to the destruction." Kish asked, crossing his arms over his chest. He did not trust this boy at all. The white haired boy feigned surprise.

"The city looks fine to me." He shrugged, a smirk forming on his face. Kisshu simply glared at him, waiting for him to answer the question. Marthox gave a dramatic sigh.

"Well if you must know, I'm here leading a revolution. This planet needs a ruler who isn't soft, someone to put their foot down. Everyone will be united under one supreme ruler." The glint in his eye showed how much he believed in his plan. Kish snorted in contempt.

"Yeah good luck with that. That was Deep Blue's tactic. 'One ruler means one people!'. No. One ruler means one person making all of the rules and reaping all of the benefits and majority of our race suffering like we were a few years ago." He rolled his eyes, amazed that people could still be that stupid. The rebel Cyniclon eyed the group.

"You know, you bunch aren't as amazing as all of the stories make you seem. You're actually rather plain." He stopped, his dark eyes on Ichigo. "Except for you. I could make room for you in my court." He winked, causing Ichigo to hiss and Kish's eyes to blaze in anger. No one got to hit on Ichigo but him.

"No need to get worked up cat. It was just a suggestion. You do seem like you would be a lot of fun though." He smirked again and looked down to the small watch that sat on his wrist.

"Would you look at the time. Though I've enjoyed our little meet and greet, I really must be going. Please give your sisters my regards and extend my offer of security to them as well. Maybe they are not as foolish as the cat Mew." Marthox gave another mock bow and disappeared.

"How does he know Keeka and Karma?" Pie asked worriedly. The other Mews looked at each other in surprise.

"You have sisters?" Ichigo was the first to ask. Kish nodded grimly.

"Twins. Keeka and Karma. They're older than me but younger than Pie." He explained. "And hopefully carrying their transmitters right now." He pulled a small hand held device out and clicked the screen. A list of names appeared and he scrolled through them until he found who he was looking for. A beam of light came from the device and created a small picture floating in the air. It showed a pretty alien sitting on a couch reading a book.

"Karma!" Kish called to the girl. She looked up, startled, and noticed the audience.

"Kisshu? What's up?" She stopped to let him answer but her eyes grew large. "Oh my gosh! Are those the Mews? I love you guys so much like you're my absolute heroes and Ichigo you're so pretty and Zakuro you have an awesome whip and Pudding you're just adorable and Lettuce has the coolest hair and Mint is just so sassy! I love you!" She babbled before Kish could stop her. He looked apologetically over at the Mews.

"Sorry, she's a bit of a fangirl." He explained. Ryou smirked from where he stood behind the group as the Mews smiled and blushed. "Anyway Karma, do you or Keeka know a guy named Marthox?"

The silver haired alien's face fell and she nodded. "Really pale with white hair? Yeah we were in a combat class with him. He's super creepy and ambitious. He always had to beat everybody. I was the only one who ever beat him and after that he kind of had a stalker obsession with me." The Ikisatashi brothers bristled at the thought of someone harassing their sister. She shrugged like it was no big deal but everyone could tell that the subject made her uncomfortable.

"Well he's the leader of the Providers, a rebel group trying to take down the government. We need as much information on him as possible." Kish said, his voice all business. Karma nodded.

"Keeka and I will meet you at your house in five minutes." The transmission disconnected. The group turned to survey the city and ocean. The white light had cured them, restoring both to their former beauty. They could see the marine life teeming underneath the water and all of the trash and debris had been cleared.

Suddenly, a blinding ache made Ichigo, Pie, Tart and Kish clutch their heads in agony. Lettuce slipped out of Pie's arms but was grabbed by Zakuro before she could hit the ground.

"What's going on?" Mint asked Ryou but he didn't know either. Ichigo lifted her head and glimpsed a pale shape. She called to the others, alerting them to the ghost. It was Masaya and he looked out over the water before returning his gaze to the group.

"What do you want?" Ichigo asked through clenched teeth. The other Mews and Ryou looked bewildered as Ichigo appeared to be talking to the air, but the Cyniclons could see the apparition and waited for its answer.

"One has come to power, but four more remain." The specter murmured before fading. The Cyniclons grabbed the humans and teleported home.

***The Ikisatashi Mansion***

"What was that about on the beach?" Mint asked. They all sat in the sitting room again and Lettuce was still cuddled in Pie's arms though she was starting to wake up.

"We saw a ghost." Ichigo said, her head still slightly woozy.

"Did it tell you anything?" Ryou pressed and the red head nodded, making her head spin.

"He told us 'One has come to power but four more remain.'" The others pondered the meaning but were interrupted by the arrival of two identical silver haired aliens. One wore an orange shirt while the other wore a red shirt but both had a long sword strapped to their back.

"This is my sister Karma and my sister Keeka." Pie introduced, gesturing to the orange shirt first and then to the red shirt. They bowed a greeting which was returned by the conscious Mews and Ryou. Keeka opened her mouth to say something but Kisshu stopped her.

"I promise there will be time for you to freak out over the Mews later. Right now we need to know everything about Marthox." Their younger brother demanded, making them blush.

"Well like I said, he has always been really intense and kind of weird. He never had many friends back in our classes but always acted like he was the most popular kid in school. Most of his friends followed him out of fear though, not actual friendship." Karma remarked and Keeka looked at her sharply before she continued where Karma left off.

"And then of course was his sketchy obsession with Karma which she ever so kindly passed onto me." The twin rolled her eyes.

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked, not quite understanding. Keeka sighed.

"Once he realized he would never get her, he set his sights on me since I look exactly like her. It didn't take him long to realize that I felt the same way she did. After that he sort of disappeared but that was when you guys came back with the Mew Aqua. We haven't seen him since." Kisshu mused over the news, wondering if it meant anything important. The group continued to talk about the possibilities, learning small useless facts about Marthox as the night wore on. Lettuce had reawakened but was exhausted, as were the other Mews. They each excused themselves and soon, Kish himself went off to bed.

The next few days passed uneventfully and mostly consisted of everyone doing research on Marthox and his group. Kisshu had barely slept in the days, always waiting for some kind of news. When it did come, Kish was finally laying down to rest. The butler burst into his room, apologizing but saying he had some very urgent messages for Sergeant Kisshu.

The town of Mint Mountains was under attack.

**Sorry it's so badly written! It's really late at night here and I've been studying for finals all evening and had to quickly get this out. I hope it wasn't too horrible and you were able to enjoy it at least a little bit. Please let me know what you think!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Shadow Kissed Chapter 7- Worms**

**I'm so sorry for the wait but this is finals week and this is the first time I've had a break from studying. I'll try to get a chapter of OTDE up soon as well. Two more days and then I'm done with my finals! Wish me luck!**

The Mews and Ryou were talking in one of the many sitting rooms of the Ikisatashi household. Ryou was telling them a thesis he had come up with soon after the attack at Lettuce Island.

"The Mew Aqua caused each of you to react differently. So I looked at the maps they have of the planet and I noticed something interesting." The Mews waited for him to continue and he pulled out the maps he had swiped from Kisshu's office. There was one about the different animals that lived in each area. Though they were still low on the wild life, there was a certain animal that seemed to be thriving in each region. As the Mews inspected the papers, they gasped in realization.

"Lettuce Island," Lettuce breathed, "Main animal is the….finless porpoise."

"Zakuro Plains has a high population of grey wolves."

"Pudding Forest has lots of cute little Golden Lion Tamarins!"

"Blue Lorikeets are everywhere in the Mint Mountains."

Ichigo located Ichigo City on the map and stared in astonishment at the huge number of Iriomote Wild Cats. On earth they were nearly extinct but here, here they were flourishing. Ryou cleared his throat to get their attention again.

"Well, I think that the Mew Aqua has created places for each specific Mew. In that area you will be stronger and more powerful. But I also think that if a chimera is created in that region, only the specific Mew can defeat it because it's basically created for them."He rubbed his chin and the Mews stared at him in thought.

"It's just a thought, not necessarily anything solid." Ryou said quickly, seeing the thoughts whirling through their minds. A knock came from the door and the Ikisatashi siblings came in. They all looked somber, except for Keeka and Karma who looked like a mix of anger and eagerness.

"I've just been told the Mint Mountains is under attack. We leave in ten minutes." Kisshu said in a stern tone and for the first time, Ichigo noticed the lines on his face. He looked sad and worried, but most of all, he looked tired. Ryou sighed.

"I guess we get to try out my theory."

***Ten Minutes Later in Mint Mountains***

The group walked slowly through the deserted town. Curtains flopped into place as the citizens peeked out from their homes. Ichigo looked at them all in confusion. Why were they hiding?

"Why don't any of them fight?" She whispered. Kish didn't answer but Pie dropped back to whisper in her cat ear.

"Most of the Cyniclons here are miners by trade meaning most of them weren't trained to fight. Anyone else here is too old or young. Few of us are actually trained as warriors seeing as we didn't have any enemies until we went to Earth." He explained. Kish shushed him, which surprised Ichigo. Normally Pie was the one ordering Kisshu and Taruto around. It seemed that everything was turned around on this planet. The green haired alien gestured for the group to stop moving and they looked anxiously around the buildings.

"Where is the…" Kish was cut off by a creature crashing through the building directly in front of them. It looked like something that had crawled up out of a hole in the ground, and considering they were in a mining town, it probably had. The chimera was dark and oozing, it had no eyes but seemed to sense its way with feathery feelers protruding from its head. The Mews shrank back from the overwhelming stench.

"I found it!" Keeka called sarcastically.

"What exactly is it that you found?" Her sister asked as she fanned the air from her face. "It smells like something that should have been thrown away last week!" The other girls agreed, though the boys looked like it didn't affect them so much. Figured.

"Kisshu! Distract the chimera so Mint can attack it. I think…" Ryou tried to tell Kish but the Cyniclon waved him off.

"I know what I'm doing." He drew his dragon swords and charged the black mass. The creature whipped its head around to face Kish, a move that looked too swift to come from such a huge and sticky thing. Feelers waving in the air, its tongue darted out and grabbed a hold of one of the swords. The weapon was yanked from Kish's hand.

"Hey!" He exclaimed as the monster drew the sword into its mouth. A mushy crunch and the weapon was lost in the jowls of the chimera. The alien charged again, this time dodging the tongue and stabbing into the black oozing flesh. Kish's triumphant smirk turned into a frown and he tried to pull his sword out, only to find it slowly being sucked into the animal's body.

"Kish the tail!" Ichigo yelled as the creature's massive rear end smashed into Kisshu and sent him flying into a building. The sword disappeared into the creature's skin with a giant sucking sound. Kish groaned as he scraped himself off of the wooden house.

"Keeka and Karma, attack either side of the chimera. Distract it so Pie can hit it with a lightning bolt." He instructed, teleporting back in front of the pile of black mush.

"I really don't think that's a good plan Kish." Mint warned, a bad feeling stirring in her gut.

"Really guys, you act like I've never fought a chimera before." Kish snorted arrogantly. "I was creating and fighting chimeras five times this size before you even knew what an alien was!"

Mint glowered at the Cyniclon but, not being one to try to help someone after they had snubbed her, let him continue with his plan. Keeka and Karma let out similar battle growls and teleported on either side of the huge black head. Their sharp swords mirrored each other as they cut at the creature's flesh, intending only to agitate not harm. However, the animal didn't turn to them, but rather stopped squirming and stared (or what they thought was staring as it didn't have any eyes) at where Pie hovered in the air. The feelers quivered in anticipation as Pie's fan charged up energy. Pie yelled and a blast of electricity shot from his hands and smacked into the animal. Its body burst outward, sending black sludge and grime over everything.

"Told you I knew what I was doing." Kish snickered as he high fived his siblings. Mint crossed her arms and gave a smirk that could rival Kish's own.

"I wouldn't celebrate yet." She pointed to where the black sludge was gathering into two piles. Within a few seconds, it had created twin worms, each a little smaller than the first but no less disgusting.

"You've had your turn, now we do it our way." Ichigo pushed Kish aside. "Pudding and Zakuro take the left worm, Lettuce you're with me. We'll distract them until Mint can finish them off." The Mews nodded and quickly paired up. Mint stood in the middle of the clearing, not sure how to start off her new transformation. As the Mews approached the worm twins, their feathery feelers waved wildly. One of the worm's black body sunk into the ground until it was completely gone.

"What? Where did it go?" Pudding asked in confusion. The second worm lashed out at Ichigo, sending her careening into Lettuce. A flash of light from Zakuro's whip slashed across the blackness but it didn't seem to feel anything. A black substance bubbled up behind the wolf Mew, encasing her feet in itself. The worm formed around her legs, inching it's way upwards.

"Mint!" Zakuro cried for help, feeling the cold deadness of the creature on her skin. It evoked a terror in her. It was as though the worm's feelers could sense everything she feared and brought it horribly to the front of her mind. Scenes played out in her mind of everyone she ever loved, her parents, her team, her fans and even the Cyniclons being engulfed in the worm, sucked into its body until they suffocated.

Mint heard her idol's plea and a white hot rage warmed in her chest. Her eyes glowed white and she felt a tug on her back as her wings elongated into two huge white wings. They arched over her body, giving off a white glow of her own. Her bow had grown as well, becoming a beautifully carved white bow, an arrow whose feathers matched Mint's was already notched in place. She lifted the weapon to her face, drawing the arrow back carefully. The arrow sliced into the worm around Zakuro with a thud and the animal released her with a cry of pain. The wolf Mew tumbled to the ground, clutching her head. Mint turned to the other worm, the bright light of her eyes illuminating the creature. It shrieked as a white fletched arrow lodged itself into the worm's side. It hissed and the two creatures rolled back together, becoming one huge writhing mass of black. It lunged at Mint but she gracefully leapt into the air, her wings beating to keep her floating above it. She notched another arrow and the creature howled as it thudded into the middle of its feelers. The creature's body expanded, seemed to pulse, and then exploded in a blinding white light. When the spots cleared from everyone's vision, all that remained was an unconscious Mint. Ryou gently lifted her body, now untransformed and not glowing, and cradled her to his chest.

"I guess that proves that theory." He murmurs. The Cyniclons looked confused, but Ichigo shakes her head, mouthing that she will tell them later. They shrug and grab a hold of the human, teleporting them back so that Mint can be taken care of.

***Later That Night***

Ichigo laid in bed, nursing her sore muscles from being thrown into Lettuce, who was not as soft as she looked. She rubbed her head, adding that to the list of body parts that hurt. Suddenly, the headache was pounding, distracting her from her other pains. She gripped her head, wondering if it were possible for her brain to implode. Something soft and light caressed her cheek, it felt only a little more substantial than air.

Masaya stood in front of her, behind him stood the pale outlines of herself, Pie, Tart and Kisshu. They hovered miserably, not able to even open their mouths. Masaya however, raised his hand again and pointed to himself. Then he pointed to Ichigo and to her outline.

Ichigo gasped, the realization hitting her square in the chest. She looked at the spirits again and could almost see the gleam of understanding reflected in her own outline. Masaya's eyes met her, encouraging her to say what she had figured out.

"We all died."

**So once again, I'm so sorry I haven't updated. My finals have been killer and I really needed to just sit down and study. I hope this chapter wasn't too bad and I really liked writing about the sludge worm things. I need some couple pairings! Who do you think should get together? Please review/follow/favorite and let me know!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Shadow Kissed Chapter 8- Smoke**

**Hi! I'm done with finals and out of school! And I passed everything! Yay! Before I start I just want to make a shout out to kisshuismylife and soccer-geek for being two of my favorite authors, I mean I love your stories so much! Anywho, let's see what Ichigo means by "we all died", sounds pretty ominous right?**

Masaya nodded slowly, and the outlines behind him flickered a bit. Ichigo's moved up beside him, stretching her fingers out to touch Ichigo's skin. The real red head jerked backwards, pulling her extremities into herself to avoid being touched. The spirit shook her head sadly and retreated to stand with the others.

"In the last battle, you, Pie, Taruto, Kisshu and I all died but were brought back to life." She continued and Masaya nodded showing he was following her. "Is that why we have these outlines? Did we leave a part of ourselves behind?" Masaya opened his mouth and she didn't expect him to be able to answer. To her surprise, he managed to strangle out a few mumbled words.

"You….have…been…touched…by…death." He stopped for a second, straining himself visibly to be able to talk. "A….part…of…you…will…always…be…dead…you…are…not….a s…strong…as…before….until…you…unite….with….your…de ath." His form paled and flickered with the exhaustion that speaking to her obviously put on his spirit.

"What do you mean? I have to die in order to be complete again? How would that help anybody?" She asked, confused by what he was saying. Masaya shook his head and opened his mouth again. Before he said anything, he faded out, leaving Ichigo alone in the room.

"Great. Thanks for clearing that up." She groaned sarcastically.

A few minutes later, Ichigo had tracked down Tart, Pie and Kish, and they all sat in the middle Ikisatashi brother's office. The others looked troubled as she explained what she had learned.

"You mean we're all weaker? And the only way to be strong again is to die? That doesn't make much sense." Kish objected. Ichigo nodded, having thought the exact same thing.

"We are seeing ghosts. Why are you surprised things would not make sense?" Pie said. Kish rolled his eyes but otherwise ignored his older brother.

"At least we've cleared up the reason why we see ourselves and why no one else sees the ghosts." Tart piped from where he hovered near the desk. Ichigo just nodded again, still deep in thought. There was one thing in particular that was bothering her.

"You know how each Mew has to save their region?" She asked quietly and the aliens turned to look at her. "What if I'm not strong enough to save Ichigo City?"

***A Few Days Later***

Everything had been quiet for a few days, which of course meant that something was about to go horribly wrong.

Lettuce was in Pie's laboratory with Kujiro, her soft hands stroking the whale calf's back. He nickered gratefully through the water, happily listening as she told him about life on earth. Pie was currently working on samples he had obtained from the black worm creatures, trying to figure out what they had been made of and perhaps how they could be beaten in future fights. He watched Lettuce out of the corner of his eye, a warm feeling bubbling in the pit of his stomach as she interacted with the animal. Something she said must have delighted the small creature for it flipped into the air and splashed back down into the tank, sending water everywhere. Lettuce laughed and rose to see what Pie was working on. The green haired Mew smiled at him and took a step forward, forgetting the slippery wet floor. Her feet splayed out beneath her, her body jolting forward with a hammering heart. Suddenly Pie's arms were around her, holding her close and steadying her legs. She looked up to thank him, only to be engrossed in his deep eyes.

Pie looked down into her beautiful light eyes, wondering what her lips felt like. He leaned in, his neck arching downwards in apprehension. Lettuce stretched up, her toes lifting her towards Pie's waiting lips. They met in a soft kiss, a slight promise of warmth.

The sound of teleportation had them springing away from each other, which of course had Lettuce slipping again and Pie's long arms snaking around her waist to catch her.

"Geez Pie, I thought you were working down here." Karma teased, her blue eyes sparkling with humor. Pie slowly let go of Lettuce, as though his limbs were protesting leaving her body. Karma watched, with a slight ping of happiness, as her older brother released the Mew. She hoped this worked out. Pie had never been the outgoing type, he'd rather sit in his lab all day than go out with friends, and so he was usually very lonely. Karma wanted nothing more for her brother than for him to be happy, and even though they weren't dating yet, she could sense that Lettuce would do that for him. The quiet girl brought out a brighter side of the even quieter Pie.

"Either way," Karma was suddenly serious, "Kish wants everyone upstairs."

"What's going on?" Lettuce asked, her face still red from the memory of her kiss.

Karma shook her head. "I don't know but I really doubt it's anything good."

Once everyone was gathered in the sitting room, Kish described the situation.

"They've hit Zakuro Plains this time, but it's worse." Everyone waited for him to continue. "It's a fire breathing chimera and most of our food is grown in the plains. If we don't stop it soon, it will burn all of our food. Also, there is a lot of animals out there, some of us will have to help Zakuro while the others get the animals out and to safety." He explained.

Once everyone had their designated roles, they headed out. Ryou, who currently had a horrible cold, stayed at the mansion.

When they arrived at the plains, everything was in chaos. The air itself felt like it was burning, the heat was so intense the Mews were sweating even in their tiny outfits. The ground crunched under their feet, proving that the chimera had already made its way past.

"Pudding, Lettuce, Tart, Pie and Karma go help with the animals. Ichigo, Mint, and Keeka come help Zakuro and I." Kish commanded, taking on his warrior face. It was something Ichigo admired greatly, full of defiance and bravery. It encouraged her, helping her feel fearless.

They all nodded and split up, one group heading away from the heat while the other moved towards it. Impossibly, the heat increased the more they moved. It felt as though they were inside a furnace and the mix of smoke and sweat made it almost impossible to see. Those who had big ears, leaned forward, hearing the movement of the chimera. Suddenly the smoke cleared, and the creature stood in front of them.

Whoever had created the animal was clearly demented. It was a mixture of a horse, a chicken and a snake, the bodies blending horribly. The animal had a beak with a slithering forked tongue and the beak melded into a horse head, complete with wild horse eyes. The neck was long and covered in scales while the torso was the fat feathered body of a chicken. Both pairs of legs were horse but had the feet of a chicken. A snake tail lashed angrily behind the creature.

"Do you like my creation?" The cold voice could only belong to Marthox. "It's defiantly one of my more creative ones." He bragged.

"It's disgusting." Ichigo spat, wondering how many creatures had to suffer for his monster.

"Why, thank you, Ichigo is it? Quite fitting my little strawberry."He cooed, getting too close to Ichigo for comfort. Kish bared his teeth in an almost feral show of dominance, and Marthox laughed but floated away from Ichigo. The creature roared and let loose another mouthful of flames, scorching the nearby trees.

"I'll let you have some bonding time." Marthox chuckled and then disappeared. The fighters kept a wary eye on the chimera as they waited for Kish's instructions.

"Ichigo and Mint, I need you to run in front of the animal. I'm going to fly around it to distract it from above. Keeka, you're going to teleport Zakuro into a place where she can attack the chimera. It needs to be close enough for her whip but far enough she doesn't have to worry about getting roasted."

"Got it." Keeka agreed, grabbing a hold of Zakuro and disappearing.

"Mew Strawberry!"

"Mew Mint!"

"Mew Zakuro!"

"METAMORPHO-SIS!"

Kish listened appreciatively to the strong transformation chant and readied himself to fly as the Mews emerged from their light. Mint and Ichigo were on the ground near him but Zakuro was in a copse of trees with Keeka, waiting for the right time to strike.

Mew Mint and Mew Ichigo took off, criss crossing in front of the snake/horse/chicken, which Kish had taken to calling the Snorken. Not his best chimera name but under the circumstances he deemed it acceptable.

"Hit the Snorken with some minor attacks!"He called to the girls as they dodged bouts of flame.

"That what…never mind, I don't want to know." Ichigo responded, slinging her Strawberry Bell into the side of the Snorken's head. The chimera gave a weird mix of a neigh, hiss and cluck of pain, and lunged down at Ichigo. The pink Mew neatly flipped out of the way, her cat reflexes landing her lightly on her feet. Mint wasn't so lucky.

The bird Mew was smacked by one of the chicken feet, the claws swatting her into the burning trees. Kish flew into the inferno after her, knowing Ichigo could take care of herself for a bit.

As Keeka and Zakuro waited in the trees, they didn't know they were the only group who had run into a little bit of trouble.

***The Animal Rescue Group***

The plains were strangely quiet as the group searched for animals. No concerned farmer rushed to check on their livestock, or ran around with buckets to douse the small spurts of fire. Pie was about to suggest they abort the mission and turn back to help Kish's group, when they were ambushed.

Something sharp sliced into his leg, but he expertly jerked it away before his attacker could do any further damage. He rolled over, squashing the enemy beneath his body. Springing to his feet, he saw that the others were in similar situations. Lettuce and a stocky girl Cyniclon were circling each other. Both Lettuce and Pudding had somehow already transformed and their weapons were gripped in their hands. Pudding was equally matched with a small boy, no bigger than Taruto. Tart however was faced with a tall alien, who's weapon hung threateningly over the smaller boy's head. Karma's carved sword was pointed at the chest of a boy alien who looked quite familiar. In Pie's moment of distraction, his attacker knocked his fan from his hand and pressed the sharp knife into his throat. A prick of pain warned Pie against moving his head. He opened his mouth to alert his teammates but Karma's sudden movement stopped him.

She dropped her sword to the ground and jumped on her attacker.

She wasn't attacking him though….

She was hugging him.

**Yay I finally worked on my story! I had a friend over this weekend to celebrate the end of school so it took me a while to write this. I hope you liked this chapter, I tried to make it a bit of a mix of explanatory and action so you wouldn't be too bored! Please review/favorite/follow and tell me what you think! Love you all!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Shadow Kissed Chapter 9- A Not So Stranger**

**Hiya! I'm super excited about this chapter cause I get to bring back a certain character :D If you've paid attention to my OC list on my profile then you should know who it is :p Yay friends! But anywho, let's find out who it is!**

Mint picked herself up off the ground, brushing dirt and sticks from her dress. She ducked as a flaming branch crashed through the tree above her. A yelp of pain came from up ahead and Ichigo's body crashed into her.

"Stop fooling around and let's get back and fight." Mint chided and pushed the pink Mew off of her. Ichigo mumbled something unintelligible and raised her arm. Her strawberry bell flew into her hand from somewhere in the trees. Mint mirrored the action and received her bow and arrow.

"We just need to distract it long enough for Zakuro to take a shot." The cat Mew said as they ran back through the trees.

"But she's got to do the transformation. Something's got to trigger it." Mint puffed and they burst through the edge of the trees, smoke making it almost impossible to see the fire breathing hybrid.

"Thanks for joining us." Kisshu groaned as he dodged the swinging snake tail. A hissing sound came from the chimera as it turned to find the alien. Mint rolled her eyes and threw herself back into the fight. Raising her bow to her cheek, she drew the arrow back and let it fly. It lodged in the Snorken's feathers, not hurting the animal but defiantly angering it. It roared and swung around to face Mint.

"We'd really appreciate it if you hurried up with the whole transformation thing Zakuro!" The blue Mew called up to where Keeka held onto Zakuro in the trees.

"Trust me I'm trying!" Zakuro responded and then continued quietly to Keeka. "I need something to get me worked up!"

"Isn't your friends being fried by some sort of movie monster enough?" Zakuro shook her head but didn't reply. She was distracted by a small shape stumbling out of the copse of trees and into the path of the Snorken.

It was a child.

***Pie's Group***

Karma's weapon clattered to the ground as she enveloped her attacker in a happy embrace. Everyone froze, watching the scene with anticipation and confusion. Suddenly, the face registered with Pie. Though he was a bit older and more mature looking, he recognized his old friend.

"Toge!" He called out. The alien turned in surprise, recognizing Pie and smiling. He managed to pry Karma off of him, only to hug her again a few seconds later.

"What are you doing here?" The ginger haired alien asked, slapping Pie on the back.

"I could ask you the same thing." The oldest Ikisatashi replied. "The Mews came to help us fight the Providers and three of them, Kisshu and Keeka are fighting a chimera. We have come to help move the animals." Toge nodded, his face serious.

"I guess you were the people killing the chimeras in the other places attacked? We always planned to fight them after evacuating everyone but every time we got there they were already gone." Before anyone could respond, he snapped into army commander mode (which coincidentally, he was in charge of the special ops force in the Cyniclon army).

"Okay, we've got everyone evacuated. The animals should be fine this far away from the fire. Lead us back to where the others are." He instructed Pie, temporarily forgetting that the purple haired Cyniclon was his superior. Pie simply nodded and started back the way they had come.

"So why is special ops here? I do not remember Kisshu ordering for you." He asked as they made their way towards the fighting.

"This is more of a…private operation."Toge chose his words carefully, remembering the position that Pie held in the government. He relaxed after seeing the gleam of approval in Pie's gaze. They continued on in silence, both groups merging to run side by side. They followed the sound of fighting, yells of fighters and a weird hiss or clucking sound. They arrived just in time to see a small child dart in front of the flashing fangs of the weirdest chimera they had ever seen.

Zakuro watched in horror as the child stumbled and landed underneath the raised chicken claw. The little girl screamed in fear, her faced soaked with tears of terror. As the claw descended, Zakuro was enveloped in a bright white light. Her eyes filled with it, and it silhouetted her as she fully transformed into a large wolf. She launched herself off the branch with a howl, ducking with impossible speed underneath the chicken foot. Gripping the child's shirt in her teeth, she swung her out of the way. Karma teleported quickly in to take the child.

Wolf Zakuro turned to the chimera, her teeth bared in anger. The wolf's fur was white, as were her eyes and teeth. Her body hurtled through the air with a magnificent jump, landing her on the back of the Snorken. The creature wailed and attempted to throw the angry wolf. Zakuro held on, her claws digging into the chimera's feathers.

Karma huddled the child to her chest, pressing her head away from the scary scene in front of her.

"Where are your parents little one?" She asked as softly as possible while still being able to be heard over the fighting. The child sniffled but answered.

"We were running from the bad birdie and I tripped. My mommy got carried away in all the people and didn't come back for me." The child paused looking worried. "She's going to be mad that I talked to a stranger."

Karma smiled gently. "We're not strangers. We're with the Tokyo Mew Mews." The child perked up at the name, recognizing it from various adventurous bedtime stories told by her daddy.

"You know the Mew Mews?" She asked, her eyes wide with awe despite of the terror she had just been through.

The older girl nodded and motioned for Ichigo, Pudding, Mint and Lettuce. They tore their eyes away from the battle and approached the little girl. The Cyniclon child stared up at them in wonder, her eyes round.

"You're the Mew Mews? You're Mew Ichigo? You're Mew Pudding? You're Mew Lettuce? And that's Mew Zakuro?" She babbled.

"And I'm Mew Mint!" The bird Mew said. The child shook her head.

"I don't remember you." The others giggled quietly as Mint's ego was brought down a notch.

"No matter. Once Mew Zakuro takes care of the bad birdie the Mews are going to make sure you get back to your mommy and daddy." Karma promised the girl. The Mews nodded, smiling at the child.

Zakuro's wolf body crouched on top of the chimera, a gut wrenching howl rising from her lips. The howl pierced the air and the white glow appeared again, only this time it was a ribbon of light. It wound down around Wolf Zakuro and the chimera until it completely hid them from sight. The glow brightened until everyone had to look away from the blinding light. The light faded as quickly as it had grown, revealing only Zakuro, back in her human form and lying on the ground. The Mews rushed out to pick up their team mate. She lay limply in their arms, her chest rising and falling evenly. Keeka took the Mew from her team and teleported back to the mansion.

"Okay." Ichigo said. "Now we've got a little girl to take care of."

The alien girl skipped happily between the Mews, forgetting all of her former fear in glee at having met the famous Mew Mews. She had excitedly touched their animal parts and when they had detransformed, had touched their human ears.

"How do you hear anything with those? They're so small!" She asked in confusion, tracing Pudding's ear. Pudding giggled.

"Pudding doesn't hear as much as you but she hears enough!" the other Mews laughed in agreement as they remembered the many times they had caught Pudding eavesdropping.

As they approached the main part of the plains, people were beginning to mill around outside of their houses. A screeching sound was coming from further ahead and the Mews gripped their pendants, ready to transform again. They realized the screaming wasn't a chimera, it was a Cyniclon.

An alien woman came running down the street, screaming and crying as she frantically yelled something to everyone she passed. A male Cyniclon followed close behind her, either trying to keep up or trying to stop her. She caught sight of the Mews and gave a squeal. They tensed as she hurtled towards them.

"Mama!" The small Cyniclon girl cried, rushing out from behind the humans. She careened into the running lady's arms, snuggling into her mother's chest. The mother looked up, her face covered in tears and broke into a smile.

"The Mew Mews. The Mew Mews saved our child and now they are going to save our planet."

***The Ikisatashi Mansion***

Karma showed Toge to his room, as the special ops had decided to stay as close to the Mew team as possible and the mansion had more than enough space for everybody. Her old friend, opened his mouth to say something but then closed it. Karma easily guessed what he wanted to ask.

"No Toge, she never got over you. But that doesn't mean Keeka will ever forgive you. You really hurt her you know." Her eyes were a mixture of soft and hard. She felt bad for her friend but also blamed him for her sister's sake. Toge nodded his head and retreated into his room to mull over his thoughts. No matter what he had done, he still loved Keeka very much.

There had to be a way to win her back.

**Toge's back! Yaaaaay! So what did you think about this chapter? Kind of short but there wasn't as much dialogue as usual so that's probably why. Please review/follow/favorite! Tell me what you think Pudding should do/turn into for her transformation! **

**P.s. 1 review = 1 punch at Marthox or Amon (from OTDE)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Shadow Kissed Chapter 10- Forgive and Forget**

**So this is going to be more of a filler/fluff chapter (mostly because I figured it was getting boring with fighting chimeras in basically every chapter) but hopefully I'll get to work with some of my favorite pairings (i.e. Kishigo, Pittuce, Rint, and Toeka (My oc pairing)) So let's see what happens!**

Kisshu paced the floor of his office. There hadn't been a chimera attack in almost a week, which wasn't necessarily a good thing. That could mean that Marthox was coming up with an even bigger and worse chimera for them to fight. Or it could mean…

"Kisshu?" Karma's voice called, interrupting his thoughts. She pushed the door open slightly, peeking her silver head in. Her electric blue eyes focused on him and she slid the rest of the way through the door, closing it quietly behind her.

"Yes Karma?" His older sister sat in one of the chairs, motioning for him to sit as well. The green haired Cyniclon was worried by her serious expression, but waited for her to speak.

"I'm a bit worried about the special ops staying here." She finally said. Kish was confused. The troops hadn't caused any trouble (which he defiantly couldn't say about the Mews, mainly Pudding who had managed to set fire to one of the rooms in the east wing) and they helped a lot with the chores around the house ( which again he couldn't say about the Mews). All in all, the special ops had been the politest of house guests.

"What's wrong with them?" He asked. Karma dropped her head a little bit, blushing, but then looked sternly up at Kish.

"I don't think it's a good idea for Keeka and Toge to be in the same house. Neither of them is over each other and its going to cause problems." She picked her words carefully, wanting Kisshu to take the matter seriously. Sometimes it was hard having your younger brother as basically your commanding officer, though secretly Karma knew that he would never have the guts to order _her _around.

"I understand that Toge did some things that weren't good, but he never meant to hurt her." Kish said quietly, wanting to defend his friend but also knowing he had to protect his sister. "I cannot throw them out; we need their help against the Providers." He held his hand up when Karma started to open her mouth. "But I will ask Toge to keep away from Keeka for the time being."

Karma looked like she wanted to argue, but she bit her tongue. She knew that they could use all the help they could get when it came to fighting the rebels, but she was still uneasy about the special ops being in the house. She got up to leave, ignoring Kisshu's remark as she closed the door.

"You know Keeka may not want you butting into her love life. She's quite capable of taking care of herself."

The thing is, Keeka's past with Toge was only an excuse Karma had used to try and persuade Kish to ask the special ops to leave. She couldn't tell him that she had her own problems with one of the boys in the troop.

No one could know about it.

***Ichigo's room in the East Wing of Ikisatashi Mansion***

Pudding was currently sleeping on the floor of Ichigo's room until they could finish rebuilding her previous room. The blonde Mew had somehow started a fire while working on something that she refused to tell anyone except Tart. Ichigo suspected that it was some sort of evil prank that the two were working on and she desperately hoped it wasn't aimed at her. She'd been the object of enough of Pudding's practical jokes and it was by no means funny. Pudding had been offered a new room in a different part of the mansion but the monkey Mew had refused to be that far away from the other Mews. Ichigo didn't mind much, when Pudding was asleep, but when Pudding was awake she was a huge ball of energy, constantly flipping around and chattering to herself and anyone who would listen.

Ichigo crossed her legs on her bed, leaning back to place her head on the wall. She closed her eyes but all she could think about was Kisshu. Ever since she had gotten here, she hadn't been able to keep her thoughts, or her eyes for that matter, off of the green haired alien. She wondered how inconsiderate it would be to get with someone so soon after Masaya's death, even though the pair had broken up nearly two years earlier.

Not that it mattered of course.

There was no way Kish would want her after the way she had treated him on Earth. She had been so cruel and hateful to the alien, how could he even stand to be in the same house with her? If she were him, she would have never sent the ship to bring her up here, much less allowed her to live in the house with him. Normal people wouldn't forget her cruelty that quickly.

But she knew that Kisshu wasn't like normal people. He cared about everyone, even if he had a weird way of showing it. He always wanted to help and do what he thought was right. And thinking back, though she hadn't appreciated his advances when on Earth, none of them had really been all that bad. Ok, so trying to kill Masaya wasn't the best thing Kish could have done to get her attention, but from being here for however many weeks, she had realized Kisshu had grown up.

He was no longer that annoying little kid who teased her non-stop and would do anything to get his way. Now he was more careful, more considerate. He thought things out, something Ichigo was still working on. Not to mention the fact that he had grown into his muscles and his flowing green hair framed his beautiful amber eyes perfectly.

Not that Ichigo was looking.

Pudding stirred on the floor and then flounced up onto Ichigo's bed. The red head would never understand how Pudding could wake up that quickly. It took Ichigo at least ten minutes to convince herself just to open her eyes.

The blonde bounced on the opposite end of the bed and then stopped, a devilish grin spreading across her face.

"What?" Ichigo asked warily, knowing that those grins usually meant something bad was about to happen to her.

"You're thinking about Kisshu aren't you?" the younger Mew giggled, making Ichigo blush scarlet.

"Am not!" She protested, trying to hide her cheeks with her hands. Pudding laughed again and bounced off the end of the bed, coming to stand near Ichigo's head.

"You are too! Pudding knows because whenever you do, you get this silly little smile on your face and your eyes get all dazed!" The girl poked Ichigo's red cheek.

"Go away Pudding! I do not like Kish." She lied, her heart beat faster at the mere mention of his name. Pudding smirked.

"Pudding didn't say anything about liking him." The blonde dance around a bit in triumph as Ichigo searched desperately for something to say. She gave up, slumping back against the wall.

"Why don't you tell him?" Pudding calmed down a bit and sat on the bed again.

"Because I know he doesn't like me."

Pudding shook her head. "Pudding thinks you are either lying to yourself or completely blind."

Ichigo sat up, looking the younger Mew directly in the eye.

"Pudding, I was absolutely horrible to him on earth. Why in the world would he still care about me after the way I treated him?" She asked. Her eyes teared up a bit, thinking of all of the pain she must have caused him. Pudding became solemn, looking down at the bed spread. She picked at it a bit before reply.

"Kisshu was not the nicest person either on Earth. But he has forgiven himself for what he did because he did it to save his people. You must forgive yourself because you knew it wouldn't be right to love someone you had to fight."

"Even though I had to fight someone I loved in the end anyway." Ichigo mumbled, surprised by the wise words coming from Pudding.

"But if you don't tell Kisshu soon Pudding will!" The monkey Mew quickly popped back to herself. She jumped off of the bed and ran to the door.

"Pudding NO!" Ichigo launched herself after her. She huffed as she ran down the hall after the agile blonde. She deeply regretted not taking her gym class a bit more seriously.

"ICHIGO AND KISSHU SITTING IN A TREE!" Pudding yelled, flipping down the hallway. She laughed and turned to see Ichigo falling quickly behind.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"STOP!" Ichigo yelled, trying to drown out the chant. Pudding had the advantage though. Ichigo couldn't get enough breath to speak, much less yell over the boisterous girl.

"FIRST COMES LOVE…" Pudding broke off as she burst into a sitting room to see Kisshu and Toge standing in the middle, looking very surprised. Toge coughed to cover up a laugh, but Kish's face was a mask of shock and something else. Pudding fancied she saw happiness there.

"Mmmmkkk bye!" She dashed across the room and through a door way as Ichigo came pounding down the hall.

"Pudding I am going to ki…" She too stopped as she caught sight of Kish. The alien smirked at her, raising one eyebrow.

"Umm so how long have you been standing in here?" She blushed and felt her cat ears pop out. They twitched nervously and her tail brushed her leg, its bell jingling.

"Long enough to hear Pudding's little song." Toge laughed and turned to Kish. "We can finish our discussion later. I'm going to leave you two alone." He teleported out, most likely to go tell everyone what had happened.

"So…" Kish said quietly, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand.

"So…" Ichigo repeated, not helping with the awkwardness at all.

"Do you want to sit down?" The Cyniclon asked and settled himself onto a recliner. Ichigo nodded quietly and chose the love seat directly across from him. They looked at each other for a bit before Ichigo finally decided to do what Pudding had suggested and just tell him how she felt.

"I'm sorry." She said softly and Kish's ears perked up.

"About what?" the green haired alien was confused by the apology. Shouldn't he be the one apologizing? After all he had basically stalked her, tried to kill her, her friends and her boyfriend multiple times and had attempted to wipe out the human race and take over her world.

"For how I treated you on earth. Even if I didn't like you, I had no right to treat you like dirt." She mumbled, a tear escaping down her cheek. She couldn't imagine how hard it had been for him. He had to leave his home and family, come to a completely different planet and fight, and the one thing that might have brought him joy rejected him day after day. She remembered all the times she had told him how much she hated him and how much he disgusted her.

Kish was suddenly on the love seat next to her, wiping away the rogue tear.

"Ichigo, I was attacking your home. How could I expect you to fall in love with someone who was trying to kill you? I don't blame you for the way you acted."He stopped, taking a ragged breath.

"After we got back, I hated myself. I knew I had no chance with you after everything I had done. And then to find out trying to take over earth was only to help Deep Blue and not my people!" He exclaimed, pounding his fist on the table. He calmed himself and continued. "But Pie told me that no matter what the outcome, I had fought with good intentions. I had fought for my people. How could I hate myself for that? And in the end, we saved them. So I told myself, however much it hurt to know that I could never have you, my people were more important that my feelings."

Ichigo looked in amazement at him. Pudding had been right. Kisshu had learned to forgive himself and now, she had to forgive herself too.

"You're wrong about one thing." She said quietly and Kish looked at her in confusion.

"Wha…" He started to say but was cut off by Ichigo's lips pressing softly to his.

"You can have me."

**Sooo that ended up being mostly Kishigo fluff instead of all the pairings I wanted to do. Sorry about that but I got a little carried away! Please review/follow/favorite and let me know what you think!**

**p.s. I'm posting this tonight because I will not be here tomorrow and I've got to post the last chapter of Off The Deep End on Friday! This way I don't skip an update of SK and I still get to wrap up OTDE by Sunday (as I should be posting the epilogue then)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Shadow Kissed Chapter 11- Homesick **

**So this might end up being fluffy or it might end up being action. Tbh I'm super in love with my Kishigo pairing so I might work some more with that. Well, let's see how this turns out; hope it's not too awful!**

Kisshu wrapped his arms around Ichigo, pulling her in for another kiss. This one was deeper, full of built up passion and emotion. He pulled back, staring at her in surprise and wonder. He had dreamed of this for years and now he finally had it. Ichigo's cheeks were tinged pink and he brushed them softly with one hand.

"Wow." He breathed, his lips tingling with memory of hers. She blinked slowly and grinned.

"My thoughts exactly." She leaned in for another kiss.

***In Pie's Lab***

Something must have been in the air because Pie and Lettuce found themselves in the same situation as Kish and Ichigo. Lettuce had been talking to Kujiro, lightly stroking the whale calf's dorsal fin. Pie sat at his desk, unconsciously staring at the green haired Mew. He watched as she smiled at something the animal told her, giving a soft laugh. To Pie, it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.

"Pie?" Lettuce turned, catching his stare. The dark haired Cyniclon blushed and stuttered.

"Um… yes?" He got up from where he was sitting and made his way to the tank. He turned to look at her again and their eyes connected.

"I think Kujiro might be getting sick. Could you take a look at him?" She returned her gaze to the calf, who floated lazily in the water. Pie looked closer at the whale and smiled.

"He is sick." Lettuce looked at him worriedly. "He is home sick."

Lettuce sighed and patted the whale's head lovingly. She had grown quite attached to the calf and had hoped they could put off returning it to Lettuce Island for as long as possible.

"I guess that means we need to take it back home then." She said quietly. Pie nodded and placed a hand on the calf while grabbing Lettuce's arm with the other one. He closed his eyes and teleported them to Lettuce Island.

Pie held Lettuce close to him as they dropped the whale into the water. The calf ducked under the water and then surfaced to flip through the air. He shot water through his blowhole, chattering happily.

"What is he saying?" Pie asked, laughing at the gleeful whale. Lettuce smiled at Pie, warmed by his affection for the animal.

"He's saying he's happy to be home and thank you for helping him." She leaned down to pet the whale one last time. "Be safe." She told the whale. He made a clucking sound before disappearing under the water again. Pie teleported them to the shore, setting Lettuce gently on her feet.

"I'm going to miss him." Lettuce wiped a tear from her cheek but steeled herself. "But it's better for him to be home." She watched as Pie scuffled his feet along the sand.

"So…um…" Pie was uncharacteristically unarticulated. He ran a hand through his short purple hair. Lettuce waited for him to continue.

"So about last week, you know, when we …uh…kissed." He said and Lettuce blushed.

"I'm so sorry about that I shouldn't have kissed you because maybe you didn't want that and I'm sorry." She stumbled over her words, turning redder as she spoke. She drew in a ragged breath as Pie cupped her chin.

"Lettuce. I wanted that kiss." He breathed, leaning in and pressing his lips to hers. Taking uncharacteristic command, she wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him further into the kiss. Their lips moved in unison, mouthing promises to each other.

They separated, each looking at the other with joy and shock.

"We should probably be getting back." Lettuce said shyly, her face turning red again.

It took Pie a few seconds to register what she had said.

"Uh..yes."

***The Ikisatashi Mansion***

Kish and Ichigo pulled from their embrace as someone entered the room.

"See? Pudding helped!" The youngest Mew crowed in triumph. She gave Ichigo a winning smile but the older girl smirked at her.

"Yeah but I'm still going to kill you!" Ichigo launched herself away from Kisshu and leapt after Pudding who was already dashing down the hall in fear.

"Come back!" Kish called, wanting a few more minutes of cuddling. His desires were not answered as Ichigo was already out of hearing distance.

"Talk about kiss and run." He mumbled, pushing himself off the floor. He thought about aiding Ichigo in catching the monkey but decided to finish up the business he had previously come here for.

"Toge I know you're still there." He called. A few seconds passed and the ginger haired soldier sheepishly revealed himself.

"Sorry. I just wanted to see how everything turned out." He blushed, the red making his freckles pop out even more on his skin. Kish knew he should be more annoyed about the intrusion but was too giddy over his kiss with Ichigo.

_Get it together Kisshu. You need to talk to him about Keeka!_ He told himself sternly. The green haired alien cleared his throat and resumed their prior conversation. His playful demeanor disappeared as the army commander persona came back to him.

"I promised that you and the special ops could stay here with us to help fight the Providers. I will not go back on my word." He watched Toge's face contort in confusion before continuing. "However, I do know that there are existing, uh, conflicts with Keeka. I do not want any fights in the house while we are working together." Toge nodded and his blush faded, replaced by the loyal look of a troop under his commander.

"I too gave you my word that I, nor any of my troops, would refrain from causing trouble. And I too will keep my promise. That includes the conflict you talk about concerning Keeka." He stood at attention as Kish nodded.

"I trust you to do so." His commanding officer turned to leave. Toge cleared his throat, his façade slipping.

"Kish." He called and the Cyniclon leader looked over his shoulder at the troop. "I'm still so sorry for what happened."

Kisshu didn't respond but left the room as quickly as his dignity allowed. He still wasn't sure how he felt about what Toge had done. The boy's secret hadn't affected only Keeka, though it had hurt her the most, but compromised the whole Ikisatashi clan. Pie and Karma had already forgiven their friend, but Kish knew it would take more time for him or Keeka to completely trust him again. For now, Kisshu pushed the issue to the back of his mind.

He enough conflict to worry about.

***A Few Hours Later***

Ichigo sat on her bed, waiting for Pudding to arrive. She had lost the girl in the many hallways and rooms of the mansion, but knew the monkey Mew had to come back to their room eventually. She grinned evilly as the door handle turned and the door squeaked open.

"Ichigo are you done being mad at Pudding?" The girl asked, poking her head in warily.

"Of course Pudding! I don't hold grudges." Ichigo lied smoothly. Pudding pushed the door open the rest of the way to reveal Taruto at her side, wielding his clacker weapon in her defense.

"Taru-Taru said he'd protect me."

Ichigo made to leap for Pudding but was stopped as a wall of pain slammed into her skull. She gripped her head, moaning as the pressure built. Tart was in the fetal position, also grabbing at his brain and moaning in pain. Their eyes met and then rose to settle on both of their pale outlines floating in the middle of the room.

Ichigo's outline turned to face her while Tart's turned to face him. Both of them opened their mouths, breathing out soundless words of warning. Then both outlines turned, pointed at Pudding, and disappeared.

"Well I guess we know where the next attack is going to be."

**So that wasn't too bad right? But what's Toge's secret? Does it have something to do with Karma's secret? What is going on? Review/favorite/follow and maybe you'll get to find out next chapter!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Shadow Kissed Chapter 12- The Village People**

**I truly have no clue what to do with this story now. I had an idea of what to do for like the last chapter but I used that idea in OTDE and now I'm stuck! Oh whale I'll do my best!**

Kisshu looked up from his desk as Taruto, Pudding and Ichigo burst into the office. His eyes lingered on Ichigo, recalling their time spent wrapped in each other's arms. Ichigo seemed to be remembering their embrace as well, her face turning slightly red and a small smile adorning her lips. She shook her head, bringing herself back to the task at hand.

"Pudding Forest is going to be attacked soon." She said, her words causing Kish to sit upright in his chair.

"Why do you think that?"He asked, looking at her seriously. He was hoping that they wouldn't have to fight again, that maybe the rebels had realized how foolish this all was. Kish looked down to the book in front of him, the same book his ghost self had knocked off his desk only a few weeks ago. The Cyniclon leader had been reading it to help him know how to fight the Providers. He flipped it open to a page, hoping to find some inspiration.

_When facing rebels, it is important for the government to never let their guard down. They must be ready for an attack at all times. Rebels groups rarely give up after only a few fights; it may take imprisoning or executing the entire group to stop the destruction._

_ Well that's encouraging._ He groaned to himself, letting the book fall shut. Ichigo cleared her throat, vying for his attention again.

"Ghost Tart and Ghost Ichigo visited us and pointed at Pudding. I think that's a pretty clear warning sign." The red head explained. Kisshu nodded, his mind going into army commander mode as he pondered how to address this.

"Get everyone ready. We leave in twenty minutes."

***Twenty Minutes Later***

The troops were gathered in one of the sitting rooms, the aliens gripping their weapons and the Mews transformed and battle ready.

"This may be one of the hardest battles yet." Tart warned. "The Forest is filled with all kinds of animals, including a lot of poisonous ones."

"Great. Not only do we get to fight a chimera but we also have to watch out for normal animals as well." Mint groaned, downing the rest of her tea. She finished and placed the cup delicately on a side table. "Well what are we waiting for?"

Everyone looked at each other and shrugged. Kisshu pushed his way through the group to stand by Ichigo and grabbed her hand. Ryou attached himself to Mint, even though he had no teleportation powers and Pie grabbed a hold of Lettuce. Karma placed her hand on Zakuro's arm, the two had become quick friends during their time here, and Pudding jumped on Tart's back. The air shimmered around them, and the group disappeared from sight.

The Forest was silent when they arrived, all of the birds and other creatures that usually lent their songs to the air were nowhere to be seen.

"I don't think they're having a party again." Kish referenced the last time he had been there. But there was no column of smoke rising from the village center, no noise of happy families celebrating. Just silence.

As the stumbled into the village, they found out why.

Bodies littered the ground, children and adults alike. Tart cried out, grabbing the lifeless body of a two year old.

"Shijo!" Tears pooled in his eyes as he clutched the small boy. Tart looked up from where he crouched, and shuddered as he recognized the faces all around him.

"Taruto spends a lot of time in this village." Pie explained quietly, leaving his younger brother to his grief. Pudding knelt by Tart, her eyes wide with shock. She put her hand on his, looking around at all of the lifeless bodies.

"Ichigo, Kisshu and Toge stay here with them. The rest of you come with me. We will search for any sign of…" Pie's order broke off as he caught sight of something.

A baboon sat on the roof of one of the small huts, watching the scene intently. Pie looked at the other roof tops, suddenly noticing monkeys on dozens of roof tops, staring at the group.

"Nobody move." Pie said in a stern low whisper. The troops froze, their eyes following Pie's gaze. A small noise started behind him, a whimpering. Pie turned his head to shush Tart.

And the world exploded in a mass of screams and fur.

The baboons launched themselves off the roof and into the clearing, scrambling over bodies as they attempted to get to the live people. Ichigo screamed as a monkey latched onto her back, its razor sharp claws gripping the skin of her neck. Kisshu pulled the creature off of her, flinging it to the ground. The group was soon swarmed by the monkey's, with nowhere to go. They tried to help each other as much as possible, prying monkeys off each other's backs. But as soon as one monkey was gone, two more quickly took its place.

"We've got to get out of here!" Kish yelled over the fray, attempting to find Ichigo in the whirlwind of teeth and claws. Something grabbed onto his leg, dragging him down to the ground. The baboon howled in triumph, lifting its head up to bare its fangs. Kisshu closed his eyes and waited for the teeth to meet in his skin.

Instead, he heard the monkey screech in pain as Ichigo yanked it up by its short tail.

"Ribbon Strawberry Surprise!" She called, hitting it with a blast from her Strawberry Bell. The creature disappeared and Masha quickly gulped down the leftover parasite. He hummed happily, and retreated back to his hiding place in Ichigo's uniform.

The red head panted, most of her energy spent on the attack. She took a second to attempt to locate each of her teammates. She glimpsed Lettuce fighting back to back with Pie. Zakuro was using her spear to pull a huge baboon off of Keeka. Mint had been chased up a nearby tree and was trying to use her Echo, but it was working well in such close range. She searched the clearing for Pudding, but was unable to find the smallest Mew. Taruto was alone in the middle, standing protectively over the body of the small boy.

"Tart!" She called, and the alien pricked an ear to show he heard her but kept facing the baboons. "Where's Pudding?"

He looked up at her in alarm, taking his own search of the fight. "I can't see her!" He responded, his face growing worried. Suddenly, they heard a scream from the far end of the fight.

Pudding crouched over a body of a young girl. She pulled it up to her chest, and hugged it tightly. Ichigo gasped when she saw the face. The girl was almost identical to Heicha, the only difference being the large ears. Pudding dropped the body, turning back to face the fight. All movement stopped as the youngest Mew began to glow. She rose up in the air, her body surrounded by the brilliant glow. All that was visible was her silhouette which was quickly growing and changing.

Some of the light faded, though it still shone from Pudding's eyes and shimmered slightly around her body. The young girl was gone, replaced with a beautiful woman who looked to be about eighteen. Her long legs accentuated her curvy torso. Pudding's yellow hair now fell in lush waves down her back. The short yellow dress was replaced with a silky long but light gown that clung to her now mature body. Her Mew mark glowed brightly at her forehead and she gripped some sort of huge ring. It looked similar to her Pudding rings but it was much larger and seemed to be made of some sort of sharp metal.

"Ring Restoration!" She yelled, slashing her ring forward into the ground. A blast of light emanated from the impact, throwing everyone to the ground. The monkeys disappeared with a last screech, their teeth clamping shut over empty air. The light flowed gently over the alien bodies, wrapping around each of them. They lifted slightly into the air and the group watched in amazement as color returned to their faces. Wounds sealed and their lungs filled with air again. Shijo and the Heicha look a like's eyes popped open, going wide with wonder as the saw what was happening. The people were set gently back down, and the light faded, accompanied by the groaning and gasping as people felt their hearts beating again. The group was surrounded by the revived villagers, crying and thanking them for saving them. A mother wept as she hugged her son and daughter to her, the Heicha girl clinging to her brother Shijo.

Tart cried out as the light faded from Pudding's body, returning her to normal. She slumped to the ground, caught in Tart's arms before her head could hit. He pulled the small girl to his chest, holding her carefully. She breathed evenly, a tiny smile adorning her lips as she slept.

The Cyniclon fought the urge to grab his head as it started to pound. His vision went blurry but he clearly saw the ghosts, dozens of them all turned to face Ichigo. The Mew leader's pale outline moved to touch her, but the living Ichigo pulled away. The spirits seemed saddened by the reaction and started to fade away. Their whispers sounded like the wind, though Tart was able to catch what they were chanting.

_"Unite with your death Ichigo. Or we will all die."_

**So I think I've slightly remembered what I plan to do with this story. I think there will only be a few more chapters of this since I never really planned for it to be a longer one. But anywho, tell me what you think about this chapter!**

**Please review/follow/favorite! Thanks for reading!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Shadow Kissed Chapter 13- Pranks**

**Sorry it's late! I was horribly lazy and watched Il Volo and bad X Factor audition videos instead of writing. Please forgive me! Plus if anyone can recommend any new anime to watch (as I've finished watching TMM again) I tried Mermaid Melody but I just couldn't get into it. Please and thank you!**

Ichigo paced her room, her head spinning with thoughts. Pudding had left the room a few minutes ago, worried by Ichigo's silence and seriousness. _I don't want to die._ She thought to herself. _But if it's the only way to save everyone…_

The door opened, revealing Kisshu with a worried smile. He made his way over to Ichigo, placing his hands on her arms to keep her from making another loop around the room.

"Pudding sent me." He said quietly, pulling Ichigo to the bed. He pulled her into his lab and turned her to face him. Her face was drawn in with inner thought, and Kish wondered what she could possibly be thinking about.

"I'm fine." She lied. Kish's eyes hardened, but were still soft when they met her maroon ones.

"Don't lie to me Ichigo. What's up?" He watched as her face changed, as she debated whether or not to tell him. She opened her mouth and sighed.

"Well, the ghosts talked to me again after the fight at Pudding Forest." Kisshu kept quiet, prompting her to continue. "They told me had to unite with my death. Or everyone would die."

Kish didn't say anything for a while, simply holding her to him. He felt her shiver and looked down to her face, surprised to see a tear drip down her cheek. Using his thumb, he gently swiped it off.

"Ichigo, I promise. I promise I will not let anything happen to you." He pressed his lips to the top of her head. She turned her face up to him.

"I don't know what to do." She sobbed, the tears coming harder now. Her body shook with the strength of her cries.

"I don't want to die but I can't be that selfish. If I've got a chance to save everyone, I have to die." Her voice broke and Kish's hand smoothed her hair.

"What is different now?" He asked, his voice soft. His thoughts were going back to the last time he had been on Earth. Ichigo had been so fearless while facing her death, she _had _been killed, though the Mew Aqua had revived her. Ichigo looked at him for a while, her eyes searching his face.

"I have something to live for." She whispered. She reached up, letting her lips meet his. Her arms folded around his neck, bringing his face down to hers. Kish's fingers brushed up through her red hair, making her shiver. He pulled away, gripping her face in his hands softly.

"You will not die. I will not let you." He promised simply, reclaiming her lips.

***In The Sitting Room***

Pudding sat curled up on the love seat, her knees to her chest. She had been sitting here since she had retrieved Kisshu. When she had told him about Ichigo, his face had contorted with worry and he had dropped everything to be by the older Mew's side.

The monkey Mew wondered if anyone felt that way about her. Lettuce had Pie and Ichigo had Kisshu, and Pudding was fairly sure the Ryou was head over heels for Mint. Zakuro probably would have asked Keiichiro out if they hadn't left him on Earth. Pudding knew she was young but she was almost the age that Ichigo had been when she had fallen in love with Masaya.

Was something wrong with her? She looked at her tiny body and thought _I'm nowhere near as pretty as Ichigo or Mint or Lettuce was at this age. No wonder Taru-Taru doesn't like me._

As though her thoughts had called him, Tart walked down the hall and spotted the blonde Mew.

"Pudding do you want to help me pull some pranks?" He asked mischievously. Pudding didn't answer, instead she turned her head away from him. Taruto was worried, the youngest Mew didn't usually pass up an opportunity to tease the older people.

"What's wrong?" He teleported in front of her. Her eyes were red and Tart wondered if she had been crying. She was silent for a few seconds but then her eyes hardened.

"Is Pudding not pretty?" She asked, pushing herself up so she could see his face. He blushed, trying to figure out how to answer.

"Um..I think you're very pretty." He stammered, blushing even more. The blonde nodded, but looked confused.

"But Pudding is very small and childish." She thought of the transformation she had been told she made at Pudding Forest. "Don't you wish Pudding looked like she did at Pudding Forest? That Pudding was pretty."

Tart shook his head, knowing that the only way to console her would be to tell her his feelings. He took a breath and steadied himself.

"Pudding, I think you're pretty just the way you are. I really like you." He admitted. Pudding was silent for a second but then she squealed. Launching herself out of the chair, she jumped on Taruto, knocking him to the ground.

"Pudding is very happy now." She crowed. "Now let's go prank people!"

Taruto laughed and pushed her gently off of him. He helped her off and they ran down the hall to plot their pranks.

***About Thirty Minutes Later***

Kisshu and Ichigo were still wrapped up on the bed, holding each other close. A knock on the door had them springing apart. Ichigo laughed as Kish got his legs wrapped up in the sheets and slammed to the ground.

"Could you stop laughing and help me up?" He groaned, grabbing her hand. She groaned too while attempting to pull him up.

"You've gained a little weight." She teased, repeating something he had told her many times on Earth. He stuck his tongue out at her and went to open the door.

"Wait!" She hissed pulling him back. "Hide under the bed!" He looked a little hurt.

"You don't want people to know we're together?" His ears drooped. Ichigo smiled and kissed his cheek.

"I don't care if they know we're together but do you know how many comments they would make if they found you in my room?" His eyes widened and he nodded, quickly tucking himself underneath her bed. Ichigo made her way over to the door and opened it to reveal Pudding.

"Who were you talking to?" The young girl asked.

"Uh nobody." Ichigo felt her face turn red and the itch in her scalp that indicated her ears were about to pop out. She took a deep breath to calm herself and thankfully the itching resided.

"Pudding found something that she thinks will cheer you up! Follow Pudding!" The little girl turned and walked down the hallway a bit.

"I'm a little busy right now Pudding. Maybe later." She went to close the door but Pudding's foot was already stopping her. Pudding grabbed her hand and pulled her out into the hallway.

"Wha…" She was cut off as Tart appeared out of the shadows with a bucket. He tossed it on her and Ichigo hissed as she was drenched in freezing cold water. Her ears popped out and flattened against her head.

"Run!" Pudding screamed and grabbed Taruto's hand.

"I've got a better idea." He grinned and the two disappeared in a shimmer. Ichigo hissed again as she looked down at her wet clothes.

"That's a nice look for you." Kish laughed and winked as he pulled himself out from under the bed.

**I really shouldn't write when I'm watching tv. So what did you think of this chapter? Please review/follow/favorite and let me know what you think!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Shadow Kissed Chapter 14- Twizzlers**

**Basically another cute filler chapter, sorry if you're tired of these but I promise something interesting will happen next chapter! So I've been thinking about trying out a new story after I finish up this one, would you like that or would you rather I started OTDE: ITD instead? Let me know what you think!**

"We need to end this." Kisshu slammed his hand onto his desk. It had been a few days since Ichigo had water dumped on her and Tart's and Pudding's pranks were getting progressively worse. Now everyone besides the two pranksters was gathered in Kisshu's office trying to come up with a way to stop the pranks.

"What if we prank them back?" Ichigo suggested, thinking of all the things she'd like to do to them to avenge the silk scarf she had been wearing when they doused her.

Each person had a reason to want the end of the pranks. Lettuce would be trying to get glitter out of her hair for the next few weeks while it had taken Mint and Zakuro almost a full day to get the bleach out of theirs. Pie lost a good deal of research due to the rats that had been let lose in his lab. Toge's special ops were covered in red splotches from the poison ivy that had been put in their beds, though no one dared to ask where the kids had gotten their hands on that. Keeka and Karma's swords were covered in permanent marker drawings while Ryou had to fumigate his room and take a tomato bath after a skunk had been placed in his bed.

Kisshu himself hadn't been pranked, probably because Tart knew Kish would get even at all costs, but the main problem he had with the whole fiasco was that every time he tried to have a moment with Ichigo, a scream would come from one of the rooms. They would sigh, pull themselves apart and go to see what new horror the youngest guests had inflicted.

"How exactly do we prank the pranksters?" Karma asked, balancing her sword on her knees as she tried a new mixture to remove the inkings. She had tried just about everything but the marker didn't even seem to fade. "These were custom made swords." She muttered under her breath, hating the idea of getting a new one.

"Well, Pudding and Taruto both love candy, so maybe we could do something with that." Kisshu said, and sat back as they came up with the most devious, and possibly over the top, prank ever.

Pudding was sitting on the floor of her room with Tart. Her room had finally been finished from the little fire incident and she was glad. She needed somewhere private to plan her pranks with Tart.

"Taru-Taru we still haven't got Kisshu. Pudding wants to prank everybody!" She complained as the Cyniclon pulled a face.

"I'd rather not prank Kisshu. He's very evil when it comes to payback." He winced as he remembered their many prank wars over the years, most of which left Tart with some sort of scar whether it be physical or emotional.

"Pudding thinks Taru-Taru is a scaredy-cat." She teased him, watching as he shook his head.

"I'm not a scaredy-cat, I'm just not stupid." He defended himself. "I'm going to get something to eat. I'm hungry." He pushed himself up off the floor and walked to the door.

"You're always hungry. Pudding thinks you're a food addict." She pointed at him. "This is an intervention!" She yelled. Tart rolled his eyes.

"You really need to stop watching so much T.V." He said.

"Pudding hasn't watched T.V. in a while." She pouted, running a hand through her hair.

"That's because we don't have one." Tart grumbled but decided to let the argument rest. He knew how Pudding was about her television shows just like Pudding knew how he was about his food. They walked into the kitchen and Pudding squealed as she noticed a bag of something sitting on the counter.

"Candy!" She bounced over to the bag and inspected the bag of strawberry Twizzlers. The words "Ichigo's Do Not Eat" were written large in a black marker on the front of the bag, but Pudding promptly ignored them.

"Kisshu must have pulled a lot of favors to get these for her." Tart commented as he took a rope from the pack, popping it in his mouth. They tasted a little funny, but food always did after traveling through space.

Pudding mumbled something inaudible around her mouth full of licorice and put a finger to her lips as she heard footsteps. She ducked down behind the counter, pulling Tart with her. They crept around and managed to slip out the side entrance just as someone entered the kitchen. Then the two made their way back to Pudding's room to finish the rest of the candy.

Karma laughed when she saw the empty counter and the pranksters making off with the bag of Twizzlers. She raised a small walkie-talkie to her mouth and stage whispered into it.

"They took the bait."

***A Few Hours Later***

Pudding clutched her stomach and groaned as pain shot through it. She might have thought she was having her little monthly visit if Tart wasn't in the fetal position on the floor nearly in tears.

"I knew that candy tasted funny." He whined and wrapped his arms around his abdomen. He rolled onto his stomach, burying his face into the carpet.

"Pudding doesn't want to eat candy ever again!" She claimed, clenching as another wave of pain shot through her. Someone knocked on the door and Pudding yelled for them to come in.

Ichigo opened the door, looking worried when she saw the shape the kids were in.

"Are you guys okay?" She asked, feigning sympathy. Pudding just shook her head while Taruto echoed another moan into the floor.

"Well I was just wondering if you knew where my Twizzlers had gone. Kisshu had to do a lot to get those for me." She asked, though she knew full well where they were. Pudding shook her head while all Tart did was groan again.

"Do you have stomach aches?" The red head questioned, keeping her voice neutral with only a hint of concern.

"The worst stomach ache Pudding has ever had." The young girl complained and once again all Tart did was moan. Ichigo nodded thoughtfully.

"My mother taught me a way to get rid of stomach aches really quickly if you'd like me to show you." She offered, backing up to the door. Both kids shot upright and practically begged her to help.

"Okay come with me to my room and I'll show you." They nodded eagerly and rushed out the door behind her.

Everyone was waiting outside of the room, holding buckets full of various items. Kisshu and Toge tossed water over Pudding and Tart, while Lettuce and Pie swooped in to dump buckets of glitter on the two. They looked up in shock as everyone roared with laughter.

"That's what you get for pranking. It'll be ten times worse next time if you guys don't stop." Kish warned. Tart's eyes widened in shock.

"You gave us stomach aches?" He asked incredulously. Pie smirked proudly.

"I did that after I caught all of the rats that destroyed a lot of my important experiments and papers." His voice became menacing and angry on the last part.

"And I helped get the Twizzlers." Toge said. "While I was getting ointment for my troops."

Pudding and Tart nodded sheepishly. "Pudding is very sorry. She didn't know she was causing so much trouble."

"I'm sorry too. We took it too far." Tart added his apology. His eyes met with Pudding's, giving her a promise. Next time they wouldn't get caught.

***A Few Minutes Later***

As the group began to disperse, Toge attempted to make his way through without anyone brushing his inflamed and sensitive skin.

"Ow!" He yelped as someone knocked into him, right on the largest patch of the poison ivy rash.

"Sorry!" Keeka turned to apologize, her mouth handing open when she saw it was him. Her eyes traced his features, coming to rest on his lips. Those lips she had kissed so much, those lips she missed so much. She shook her head, coming back to her senses.

As she turned to leave, a hand gently gripped her wrist, stopping her in her tracks.

"Keeka we need to talk about what happened."

**So hopefully I haven't bored you to death with my filler chapters, but next chapter you (might) finally find out what Toge's secret is (maybe). And you (might) find out what Karma's secret is as well (if you're lucky). Your chances of finding out are higher if you review/follow/favorite!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Shadow Kissed Chapter 15- Toge's Secret**

**So I'm going to try to make this chapter more interesting since some people have been saying that the last few have been a little lacking. Hopefully this is a little better, though I don't know that we'll get any action scenes in the chapter since it's mostly going to be about Toge's secret and maybe why Karma doesn't like the special ops. **

Keeka sighed and turned to face Toge, knowing exactly what he wanted to talk about and that she absolutely did not want to. She waited for him to start speaking but he motioned for her to follow him down the hall. He led her into a sitting room, identical to the many others all throughout the house.

Toge sat on a love seat near the stone fireplace, while Keeka curled up on the recliner as far as possible from him. She tucked her feet under her, making herself small in the chair. Again, she kept quiet, waiting for him to speak.

"I know…" His voice cracked so he cleared his throat and started again. "I know you think I'm horrible. And I know you probably won't believe me." He stopped as she snorted in disgust. "But please just hear me out." He begged, searching her face for any kindness. She nodded coldly and Toge swallowed.

"Well first you should know that I didn't let them kill your sister." He watched as Keeka's eyes widened and her face turned red.

"Are you still trying to convince me of that? I saw you standing over her body!" Her voice rose but then dropped into a heart breaking whimper. "She was so little. How could you do that?" She remembered her small sister, only five years old at the time, her dark blue hair in two cute braids on either side of her head, as she brandished her very first weapon. It was a small sword, barely half the length of Keeka's, and it had "Hana", the little girl's name, etched in to the handle. Toge's voice drew her out of her memories.

"Well, if you'd listen to me you'd know what happened." She closed her eyes for a second, and then nodded again, signaling she'd hear him out.

As Toge began speaking, she could tell he was going back to that day in his mind, the day her little sister had been murdered.

***Flashback***

It was when Kisshu, Pie and Taruto had just come back from defeating Deep Blue. Their little sister Hana was turning five and it was time for her first weapon. On the Cyniclon planet, receiving your first weapon is a huge rite of passage and there was always a giant celebration. Since they were now above ground, with the Mew Aqua healing their planet, Hana's party was going to be even more special.

Toge had been working in the army for quite some time and had just recently been drafted into the special ops section. He loved it, getting to work under cover and show up first to anything major. But this day, he had one main task: guard the Ikisatashis.

Since they had returned with the news of Deep Blue and the Mew Aqua, the Ikisatashis had been heralded as heroes. But that didn't mean there weren't people who hated them for what they had done. This was the early days of The Providers, back when they were nameless, leaderless and a lot less dangerous. They were still a secret of the special ops, a classified problem that wasn't deemed worthy of alerting the citizens about. However, they had just received a tip off that there would be an assassination attempt on the Ikisatashis during the Weapon Celebration.

Toge, of course, was chosen to go undercover and protect them, seeing as he was invited anyway due to him being best friends with the older Ikisatashis for his whole life, and he was currently dating Keeka. A few other troops went with him, ones who were of some relation to the Ikisatashis so they wouldn't raise suspicion.

They had arrived at the party, and quickly mingled into the crowd to keep an eye out for anything peculiar. Toge stuck close to the family, watching as they happily celebrated the child's milestone. The little girl was in a white dress, as was the custom, her hair braided evenly on either side of her head. A small sliver leaf headband wrapped around her forehead, gleaming in the light. Toge watched as she opened the case to reveal her weapon, a small sword with a simple leather handle.

"My name's on it!" She cried in delight, swinging the sword and causing everyone to jump back with a chuckle. She squealed in glee and used it to swipe some blades of grass from the ground, relishing the clean cut. "Thank you thank you!" She laughed.

Her parents ruffled her hair affectionately, making sure to keep on the other side of the weapon. Each sibling hugged her and congratulated her on the sword, saying it was wonderful.

"Now go put that in the house before you hurt someone." Her father laughed as she jumped off the picnic table carefully, the sword held stiffly at her side. Toge was torn, he wasn't sure if he should stay with the family or follow Hana. His choice was made when he saw someone slip silently from the crowd and into the house behind her.

"I've got to use the bathroom." He lied, even though no one was really paying attention to him. Walking quickly, he tried to look nonchalant, but as he realized it wasn't one of his men that had followed the little girl, his heart began to race.

Just as he closed the front door softly behind him, a muffled scream came from the hallway. He sprinted down, glancing quickly into the rooms for any sign of trouble. Reaching, Hana's room, he saw a horrible scene.

Little Hana was gripping her short sword in her hand, waving it threateningly at the intruder. A boy, not much older than Toge, held a pair of two long curved swords at her, pointing them towards her chest. With one swift movement, he knocked the weapon from her hands and plunged the swords into her small body.

Toge yelled and leapt forward, his long knives pulled from his sleeves, slashing at the boy. Scarlet blood appeared on the intruder's pale skin, and he cried out in pain, yanking away from the girl. His dark eyes glared at Toge, who screeched and launched himself at him again. Before he could strike the intruder, the boy vanished, teleporting to safety.

He rushed to Hana, her life fading quickly. Her eyes fluttered up at him, rolling back into her head as her mouth went slack, a red line of blood dribbling down her chin.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered to her. "I should have been faster." But it was too late. The small girl went limp in his arms, slouching to the floor. Toge felt tears well up in his eyes and he pressed a small communicator hidden expertly in his ear.

"Hana Ikisatashi has been killed. Watch out for a male with white hair, black eyes and very pale skin. I repeat Hana Ikisatashi has been killed." A scream echoed from behind him and he turned to find Keeka in the doorway, her face drawn in a mixture of anger and sorrow.

"What did you do?" She whispered, her voice getting louder as she repeated it and finally screamed at him, rushing into the room. Her petite body pushed him away from her sister. Gripping the body close, she growled at Toge.

"Get out. Get out now before I kill you myself." He opened his mouth to explain but couldn't find the words. He looked as the girl he loved clutched her sister's body and blamed him for what happened.

He blamed himself too. He blamed himself for not moving faster, for not acting quicker once he had seen them. Hana was dead, and it was his fault. His team of men appeared in the door way and looked sadly into the scene.

"Toge, we must go." One of them said, knowing the rest of the party goers would soon know what happened.

"I..I can't leave them… not like this… they'll think i…" He broke off as Keeka screeched at him again.

"I SAID GET OUT!"

"We have not been authorized to explain the situation, soldier. I am ordering our immediate departure." His superior told him. Toge slowly nodded and followed quickly as they retreated quickly through the back door. Fleeing into the trees where a few black SUVs were waiting.

Though, he knew it was impossible, Toge thought he could hear the wails as the Ikisatashis realized their little girl was dead.

***Flashback Over***

Toge was gasping and trying to keep back tears as he finished his story, barely able to see Keeka through them.

She too was crying though, wondering why this had never been explained.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked. "I missed you for so long Toge. Why didn't you tell me?" She launched herself across the space between them and into his arms. Her head found it's old place underneath his chin and she held onto him.

"Your family was told as soon as we were authorized. I asked… I asked about you but your mother said you wouldn't even listen to anything they said about me." He choked back another wave of tears, his heart thumping as he was finally reconnected with his love.

"I thought you had betrayed me. I couldn't even bear to hear your name. Every time they would start talking about you I left." She admitted. She felt her heart beat strongly in her chest, something it hadn't done since that tragic day. She had lost so much more than just her sister.

"I'm sorry for not believing in you." She said, looking up into his eyes.

Toge answered by leaning down and pressing his lips to hers, feeling the spark of heat he had missed for so long. Keeka leaned into him, her hands tangling in the hair at the nape of his neck. Toge's hands followed similar motion, entrapping her to him.

Suddenly, Keeka gasped, pushing him away and looking up at him with horrified and slightly hateful eyes.

"What did you say about the guy who killed her? When you described him to your team?" She asked, her voice urgent as something tickled at the back of her mind.

"He was probably close to my age and very pale. He had dark eyes and white hair." The image of the killer was forever etched into Toge's brain, a reminder of what had happened.

Keeka's eyes narrowed in anger, her face burning red again. Toge looked at her worriedly, wondering what she was thinking.

"Marthox." She whispered.

**Ok so the Ikisatashis had another little girl, but the reason you've never heard of her will be explained next chapter. Hope this was better and more interesting!**

**So I'm thinking about doing another story (possibly called Love is a Poison) after I finish Shadow Kissed, though it won't be posted until after I'm back from my trip, though I may post the prologue. I'm going to put up a poll about it on my profile so you can tell me if you'd read it or not!**

**P.s. it would be slightly related to what happened to Peeta when he was captured by the Capitol in MockingJay except it would be Kisshu on his home planet. The rest of the story would have nothing to do with THG: MJ and would be completely my story. So please go to the poll and let me know if you're interested or not!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Shadow Kissed Chapter 16- Ichigo City**

**Sorry this is late but yesterday I found out some stuff and I just couldn't write or anything yesterday which is why I posted Love Is A Poison cause it was already written. I don't know if I'll be able to finish this story before I go on my trip but I'm really trying! If not I'll post chapters whenever I get wifi there **

Toge's face went red with anger. He had never met the leader of the Providers, which is why he had never put the two together. Keeka was shaking in his arms, her eyes blazing.

"Calm down." He told her through gritted teeth. "We'll have our chance to get him."

Frantic footsteps pounded down the hall, alerting the couple to someone's approach. A Cyniclon man wearing a frazzled looking suit burst into the sitting room, glancing at the two on the couch.

"Where is Sergeant Kisshu?" He asked breathily. Toge looked at him in confusion, still wrapped up in his moment with Keeka.

"Oh…uh… Kisshu….I don't know, he might be in his office."The boy stammered, his arms still encasing Keeka. The man gave a dramatic sigh and crossed his arms impatiently.

"Take me there." The suited man demanded rudely. If not for the urgency of the man's demeanor, Toge would have ignored him until he asked nicely. But seeing how desperately he needed to speak to Kisshu, Toge released Keeka and pushed himself off of the couch.

"This way." He said shortly, starting down the hallway towards Kish's office. He heard the sharp tap of the man's shoes on the floor behind him.

"This should be it." He said, pushing open the door. Kish was seated behind his desk, Ichigo snuggled in his lap. Her black cat ears poked out of her head and Kish's fingers were lightly stroking them. The red head turned scarlet and nearly fell out of her seat, her hands trying to push her ears away.

The man didn't seem to notice anything though, or was very good at ignoring such things, and simply stood at attention.

"Sergeant Kisshu, I report from Central Command." He said in a clipped voice, respectfully not making eye contact with his superior.

Kisshu immediately sat up straight, accidentally dumping Ichigo from his lap. The cat girl quickly scuttled out of the way and went to stand by Toge, still red with embarrassment.

"What is your message soldier?" Kisshu's voice took on the steely command of the top officer in the Cyniclon armed forces.

"Sir, Ichigo City is under attack."

***A Few Minutes Later***

Everyone had been gathered into the sitting room just outside of Kish's office. Kish sat on the love seat, Ichigo seated next to him, while Taruto sat next to Pie on the couch with Pudding on his side and Lettuce on Pie's. Ryou, Mint and Zakuro sat on the couch directly across from them. Toge sat in the recliner, with Keeka sitting on the arm of the chair though he had offered the seat to her. Karma leaned on the back of Kish's love seat, glaring at the way her sister interacted with the leader of the special ops. The other troops stood around the room, all waiting to hear what the informant had to tell them.

"So tell them what you told me." Kish commanded. The suited man, whose name turned out to be Hokoku, takes a breath and gives the green haired alien a formal nod.

"A few hours ago a group of people set up a tent in the middle of Ichigo City and started creating Chimera animals. No one can seem to defeat these parasites, though we've recruited some of the best Chimera fighters on the planet. They've destroyed at least half of the city now, leaving many homeless or worse." He stopped to let the news sink in. "We can do nothing now except call on Kisshu and the Mews for help. We've received word of how you've defeated the Chimeras in the other regions and we hope you will do the same for Ichigo City."

Kisshu nodded thoughtfully, but his eyes weren't on Hokoku. They were trained on Ichigo, watching as the red head paled, thoughts running almost visibly through her mind.

"It is your decision." He whispered in her ear. "Either way I'm going to be with you." She nodded and looked up from her hand. Her eyes wandered over the faces of the people surrounding her. She thought of the special ops, who would undoubtedly go to fight anyway, she thought of the Mews who had saved their own regions already, she thought of Ryou and how he had created the Mews to protect earth. Did he ever think they would be fighting to save a completely different planet? Ichigo knew that Ryou would say it didn't matter what planet they were on, they had been given gift to protect others and they had the responsibility to use it. She thought of Keeka and Karma, the two girls she had become incredibly close to. She thought of Pie and Tart, the aliens who once she had been fighting to save her own home.

She thought of Kisshu, the boy she never thought she could love. The boy who had captured her heart. She knew that if she didn't go, he would lose his home. He would lose everything he had worked so hard for. Ichigo remembered how hard he had fought on earth to save his people and how misunderstanding and hateful she had been.

She knew that no matter what it cost her, she owed it to him.

"Let's do this." She said determinedly, standing up. The others cheered loudly, rushing to retrieve weapons and other various items. Only Kisshu sat still on the couch, his face drawn with fear as he knew that Ichigo had just agreed to her death.

***Ichigo City***

The group walked slowly through Ichigo City, dodging falling debris and flaming buildings. Many people huddled on the streets where the fire had already passed through, having no other place to go.

"We need to split up. If what Hokoku said was true, there's going to be Chimeras all over the city." Kisshu said, already splitting the group in his mind.

"But Ichigo's going to be the only one that can defeat them." Toge protested, not out of fear but not wanting to risk his troops, or Keeka, on a fight that they already knew was impossible.

"That doesn't mean you can't keep more people from getting hurt. We need to try to get all of the Chimeras to the middle of the city." The green haired alien commanded. Toge nodded and called to his special ops. The troops split into two groups that went opposite ways down the street.

"We will meet you at the city center Sergeant Kisshu." Toge saluted, showing his respect for his childhood friend.

"Be careful Officer Toge." Kish returned the salute and watched as the two groups moved quickly down the streets they had chosen.

"And now we've just got to make it to the center of the city." Tart said, giving Pudding's hand a squeeze. "How far is that Pie?"

The purple haired Cyniclon pulled some sort of electronic from his pocket and fiddled with it for a few seconds. "Exactly half a mile away."

They nodded, knowing it would seem like much longer if they ran into trouble. The street was strangely quiet, the burning ruins flickering silently. It was almost as if the group was disconnected from the world, their ears pricked as they moved towards the center.

A strange scream broke the silence and sent chills down everyone's spine. It came again, closer this time. It sounded as if a human was screaming, but the sound was a bit off, though no one could quite figure it out.

The source of the noise burst into the street, a huge black bird with a blood tinged beak. It opened its mouth, releasing another screech that had the group clutching their ears. It hopped closer, inspecting the group curiously.

Suddenly, its talons flashed out from under it, moving to swipe at one of the people. Keeka screamed as she was caught up in its claws and quickly pulled into the air.

"Keeka!" her siblings yelled, each one trying to grab onto her. The Mews sprang into action.

A purple light sizzled through the air as Zakuro's whip wrapped around the bird's torso, pulling it back towards the earth. A blue flash signaled the Mint Echo right before it smashed into the bird, causing it to falter in the air. It screeched again and attempted to snap at the whip.

"Ichigo now!" Zakuro yelled, almost losing her grip on the handle. The bird wheeled up again, trying to free itself. Ichigo raised her hand, her Strawberry Bell flying into her grasp. Connecting it to her wrist, she felt the power flow through her, though something didn't feel quite right.

"RIBBON STRAWBERRY SURPRISE!" She screamed as the light erupted from her hands. It enveloped that Chimera who gave another screech and was gone. Keeka managed to regain herself before she hit the ground, hovering shakily above the earth. Karma wrapped her arms around her sister thankfully.

"Thanks Mews." Keeka breathed, settling her feet on the asphalt.

"Don't thank us yet." Zakuro warned, nodding down the street where another horrifying creature was pulling itself from a crater in the road.

It was going to be a long half mile.

**So once again, I'm sorry this is late. I was just too upset yesterday to write well, and tbh I still don't think this chapter turned out very well. Sorry for everything and hopefully I'll be better by the next update!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Shadow Kissed Chapter 17- The Battle Of Ichigo City**

**Look I got this chapter up on time! So I leave on my trip in a few days so I'm really trying to finish up this story but I just can't rush it. So updates might be a little off because I've got to wait to update until I've got wifi. But I'll be working on my two new stories **

Ichigo panted and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. They hadn't made it halfway to the city center and had already fought four chimeras. The group was exhausted and Ichigo didn't think she could even raise her Strawberry Bell, much less use it.

"Kish!" She called. The green haired alien perked his ears, turning her way. His face was smudged with grime and his hair hung limply around his face, but his eyes lit up when they connected with hers. He walked over to her, his ears drooping in exhaustion.

"How you doing?" he asked, slinging an arm affectionately around her shoulders. He acted casual but his eyes searched Ichigo's face.

"I'm scared." She cleared her throat to sound strong. "But I'm determined." She looked at the others, fighting so bravely beside her. She wondered what they would do if they knew how this day would end. Each of them knew they could die today but that's why they fought. They fought to live.

But Ichigo? Ichigo knew that no matter how hard she fought, she would die. Her eyes flashed over the alien in front of her. His golden eyes watched her with awe and adoration, his fangs sticking out of his grin. His forest hair stuck out in a green halo around his head. His muscles were visible under his light skin, bulging when he moved.

This was what she would fight for.

She would fight for Kisshu. She would fight for his life. She would fight for his future.

"Kisshu…if I…when I die…" She gulped. Kish opened his mouth, tears threatening the corners of his eyes. Ichigo placed a hand on his chest and continued. "Don't mourn me." Her throat threatened to close up, her own tears pooling in her eyes. "Go on with your life."

Though she hadn't said everything she wanted, she knew she had said enough. Her energy left her, but she knew she had to take her team to the city center. Turning away from Kish, she grimly looked at her tired troops.

"Let's do this."

***Thirty Minutes Later***

The group ducked as something large launched itself off of one of the buildings. A hissing sound filled the street and Mint squealed in horror.

"Did it really have to be a cockroach?" She groaned, her face paling as she looked at the chimera. It's antennae waved in the air, finding its prey. Hissing, it quickly lunged forward.

Mint screeched again as she jumped sideways to avoid the large insect. It gnashed its teeth together, turning to find its next target. The blue Mew was standing on a window ledge about two stories up, clutching her bow to her chest.

"RIBBON MINT AHHHHH!" She screamed as the cockroach easily scrambled up the building, nearing her quickly. She nearly fell off of the window sill, trying to find a way down.

Suddenly Keeka was standing next to her.

"Need some help?" She grinned. Mint nodded her head quickly, gripping onto the Cyniclon in fear. Keeka laughed and teleported them down to the street.

"Fearless when facing all sorts of aliens but scared of a roach." Ichigo laughed. The laugh didn't last long though.

The bug hissed again and threw itself towards the group. The fighters scattered, readying their weapons.

"You were saying?" Mint asked dryly. Ichigo shrugged and looked around, trying to come up with a plan.

"Can one of you fly around its antennas? I think that would confuse it." She asked. Pie and Kisshu nodded and hovered in the air. "And then Pudding hit it with your attack and then we should be able to finish it."

Everyone nodded, the Cyniclons taking off to worry the antennas. Pudding readied herself, gripping her rings. Kisshu reached out a hand and tugged on one of the antennas. The roach's head snapped up, hissing angrily. Pie did the same, causing the roach to turn in his direction.

"Pudding get ready." Ichigo commanded. The young Mew nodded and opened her mouth to name her attack.

Pie laughed as he tugged on the antenna again, looking at Kish who was grinning as well. Something wrapped around his legs, yanking him from the air.

"Pie!" Lettuce screamed as the purple haired alien was flung through the air. He crashed through a window, disappearing into a near building. The green Mew rushed to the building, going quickly through the door.

"Pudding!" Ichigo yelled, pulling the blonde's attention back to the roach. Kish was now dodging both antenna and trying to distract it from the Mews. Pudding nodded and raised her rings again.

"RIBBON PUDDING RING INFERNO!"

The roach stopped as it was encased in the jelly like substance. Ichigo nodded to Mint who raised her bow.

"RIBBON MINT ECHO!"

The pink light sliced through the gelatin and hit the chimera. It hissed as it was released from Pudding's concoction. Before it could move, Zakuro pulled out her whip.

"RIBBON ZAKURO PURE!"

Her purple light wrapped around the hissing creature, holding it in place. Ichigo took a deep breath, steadying herself to release more energy.

"RIBBON STRAWBERRY SURPRISE!"

Her attack smacked into the creature, dissolving it with a last hiss. Masha hummed happily as he engulfed the parasite. Mint squealed as the small roach scurried to get away.

"Let's go check on Pie." Kish said. He was worried by the fact that his brother hadn't come back to the battle. Ichigo nodded but before they could move, Lettuce and Pie appeared from the building.

The green Mew was supporting the alien as much as possible. He was limping heavily, his right arm clutched to his chest awkwardly.

"Pie!" Kisshu called, teleporting over to help Lettuce. Pie groaned as Kish slipped his arm behind him.

"My ankle is sprained, I think, and I am almost certain my arm is broken." Pie panted, exhausted by the walk out. The group kept it to themselves, but they all knew this was bad.

They were already exhausted and now they'd lost a fighter. As Ichigo looked around at the battered and bruised group, she knew they couldn't last much longer.

"How much farther?" She asked to no one in particular. Pie groaned and pointed down the street with his good arm. Lettuce moved over to keep her hold on him.

"The city center is right around the corner."

**Yeah cliffie! Sorry not sorry. I'm just happy I finally updated on time. So what did you think about this chapter? Review/follow/favorite por favor! I'm bilingual! **


	19. Chapter 19

**Shadow Kissed Chapter 18- The Battle Of Ichigo City Part 2**

**Guess who's back! We're getting close to the end! And then I'll start on Love is a Poison and OTDE: Into the Deep. **

A thrill of dread traveled through Ichigo's body, causing her to shiver. Her maroon eyes met with Kisshu's amber ones. His eyes were strong but edged with fear. Ichigo looked away, took a deep breath and stepped forward.

The place looked like it had once been some sort of beautiful park, with various fountains, statues and such. But now it was completely overridden with tents and other things one would expect to find in a battle camp. The camp was silent, the only movement being the tent flaps flickering in the wind. Kish pressed a finger to his lips, signaling for the others' silence.

The green haired alien crept forward quietly, ducking his head into the nearest tent. Ichigo felt her breath hitch in her chest in fear and anticipation for the boy. He quickly scuttled backwards, reaching the group and ushering them back down the street and into an alley.

"It looks like they're all asleep." He hissed. Pie nodded and crossed his arms over his chest.

"We should take this chance to find Marthox and attack." He said the name with a new hatred, his anger towards the rebel deepening once he had found out that he was the one responsible for killing Hana.

When Keeka had told the aliens what she had figured out, they were all shocked. The surprise quickly gave way to a bubbling rage at the Providers leader for murdering someone so innocent and helpless. Karma had been quiet through the whole exchange, her head bowed in obvious grief. Kisshu had tried to comfort her but she had shrugged him off and stormed from the room.

Of course then they had gone to tell the Mews, which had gone over better than they thought. Kisshu was especially worried that Ichigo would be hurt that he had never told her about his little sister. The red head understood though, and she had even kissed Kish lightly and promised to be there for him. She had also whispered in his ear that he could always talk to her.

Kish shook his head, bringing himself out of his reverie and back to the present. Karma stood to the side of the group, her face a concerning mix of fear and worry.

"I don't think we should attack them."

The group quieted and turned to face her. Her eyes were large with unshed tears and her mouth turned down in a frown. A clamor went up of voices rose up, questioning her. Kish raised his hand silencing them.

"What's wrong Karma?" He asked, moving to face his adoptive sister. She refused to meet his stare, her eyes searching the ground. She stood silently for a moment, trying to put her secret into words.

"I was there." She swallowed noisily, her hands trembling.

"I let them kill Hana."

***The Battle Camp At The Center Of Ichigo City***

"Is our little surprise for our friends nearly ready?" The light haired alien grinned as he ducked into his tent. As leader, his tent was in the very center of the camp so it was easily guarded and the hardest to get to. His sensitive ears picked up the sounds of the soldiers sleeping around him, gathering their strength for the coming battle though he was almost certain most wouldn't be needed. His present for the Ikisatashis would take care of most of them. All his soldiers would have to worry about would be Toge's forces and the meddling humans.

"Yes Master Marthox, it is absorbing energy as we speak." A thin Cyniclon answered, gesturing to a part of the tent sectioned off by a sheet. Marthox nodded and made his way behind it.

"Yes." He hissed in satisfaction, gazing proudly at his creation. "You will be their destruction."

***The Alley***

Silence threatened to choke them all as they stared in shock at Karma. Her shameful face was downturned, refusing to look at anyone.

"Explain yourself." Kisshu demanded, his voice strained. Keeka placed her hand on his arm.

"I'm sure she just means…" She started to say but Kish's voice cut her off.

"Hush. Let her explain." His eyes searched her face, begging for some sort of easy explanation. Karma took a deep breath, steadying herself and preparing for what she was about to say. The secret pressed against her, drying out her mouth and closing her throat. She didn't want to but she knew it was time for the truth.

"I knew they were coming and I let them in the house." She started. She watched as Kish's face fell, his expression flickering with hints of pain, anger and disbelief.

"Mother and father were going to lock the door so the children wouldn't be running in and out. Once the party had started I went inside and purposely left the door unlocked. Once they had gotten there, some of Toge's men were suspicious but I led them off, saying I had seen someone lurking in the trees in the backyard. I knew the Providers would be going inside." Her voice was quiet, silent tears streaking her dirty cheeks.

Kish's amber eyes burned at her from behind a curtain of forest green hair. His hands were tight fists balled at his sides, his muscles rippling dangerously under his skin. His fangs ground together in barely suppressed rage, and his lips parted for only a single word.

"Why?"

The venom encased in that one word was enough to make Karma flinch. She lost it then, her tears coming faster and her voice rising.

"They promised they wouldn't hurt her! They said they only needed her for leverage but they said they wouldn't hurt her!" She sobbed, her face contorted with sorrow.

"Why would you trust them? Why would you give her to them? She was five, Karma. FIVE YEARS OLD!" Kisshu yelled, forgetting their proximity to the enemy camp in his fury. The Cyniclon girl didn't answer, her eyes searching for anyone to help her, only to meet either blank or angry stares.

"Karma answer me. Why were you going to give Hana to them? Why would you knowingly allow them to steal a child?" He fought to calm himself to no avail. He could see her mind searching, fighting against itself for the truth.

"Because they said they wouldn't hurt my family if I gave her up." Karma's voice was cold with old anger. "They said that if I let them take Hana they would leave us alone."

Pie moved forward, still leaning heavily on Lettuce. "But Kisshu and Hana were our family."

Karma whirled around to him. "Don't you think I know that now? Don't you think that it kills me that I let my little sister be murdered? I was angry then ok? I was angry that Kisshu had brought this on us all because he was in love with that stupid Mew!" She wiped at her face, smearing the dirt and tears across her skin. "I thought I could save us. I thought they'd let us be if Kish and Hana were gone. But I was wrong. I was so wrong and I've had to live with that every day of my life since."

Karma's knees hit the ground, grasping her face in her palms. Sobs shook her body uncontrollably but no one moved to help.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered. The silver haired alien pushed herself from the ground, sprinting down the alley and into the street. Her body easily disappeared in all of the smoke and debris.

Kisshu stood silently, still shaking in rage and pain. His ears were flattened to his head and he only moved when a soft hand touched his arm. He turned his head to see pink hair and black cat ears. Ichigo pulled him into her, wrapping her arms around him.

"I'm sorry Kisshu. I'm sorry for everything you have lost." She whispered, knowing he could hear her. The alien's mind remembered everything. Everything and everyone he had been forced to let go. He didn't know how much more loss he could take.

As he his ears picked up the sound of Ichigo's strong heart beat, he made a pact with himself. That beautiful, strong and loving heart was not going to stop beating today, or any day for as long as he was able to protect her. He would save his Koneko-chan no matter what it took.

A few minutes later, they had managed to pull themselves together. Though they were still in quite a bit of shock over Karma's revelation, they knew this wasn't the time to think about it. They had to act while they still had the element of surprise. Due to the volume of their talk with Karma though, they weren't sure how much surprise they still had.

Quietly calling the troops together, Ichigo and Kish stood in front of them with their heads held high. Their hands were entwined and as they watched, the other couples did the same.

"I just want to let you know I've never had a better group of soldiers." Kish said, looking proudly at his family and friends.

"No matter what happens today, you've all done your very best. That being said, both of our homes depend on our fight." Ichigo took over, her strong voice encouraging the fighters.

"The plan is to attack while they are still sleeping. They outnumber us so we need the element of surprise. On my count, we will move as silently as possible into the camp. Grab your weapons." Kisshu instructed, pulling his own swords from their sheath. He leaned over, pulling Ichigo's lips to his. He kissed her passionately, refusing to believe this would be their last kiss. Releasing her, he raised his hand in salute to his team.

"Just remember, Marthox is mine."

They crept forward quietly, moving down the alley and towards the camp. In the night air they heard sounds from across the city. Hover car alarms blared through the encroaching darkness accompanied by the sound of chimeras rampaging the deserted city.

The green haired alien raised his hand, signaling for the group to move forward. They swept past the corner and under the arch ways of the gate.

The park grass rusted silently underneath the feet of hundreds of ready soldiers.

Marthox stood at the front, his arms crossed over his chest casually. He smiled darkly at the group, watching as they took in the mass standing in front of them.

"It was rude to keep us waiting." He chuckled as he dropped his arms to his side. "However I would still like to give you a gift." He stretched his hand out toward Kisshu who bared his fangs in disgust.

"I don't want anything from you." He growled, raising his swords defensively. Marthox just smiled and gestured toward a figure in the crowd.

"Oh but Kisshu, this gift is a little personal."

The figure stepped forward, looking unimposing against the background of large battle hungry soldiers. The head of blue hair barely came up to their chests, and wide amber eyes regarded them fondly, like play mates. Two blue pig tails fell identically over the small shoulders , framing a soft rosy face.

As the girl took her place next to Marthox, a strangled sound escaped Kish's throat.

"Hana?"

**Ok so I really thought this was going to be the last chapter but…I guess not! There should (hopefully) only be one or two more chapters of this story and then I will start updating my other stories. Please follow/favorite/review and let me know what you think!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Shadow Kissed Chapter 19- The Battle Of Ichigo City Part 3**

**This may or may not be the last chapter. I'm still not sure, I guess we'll see where I finish this one up at. There will be an epilogue so even if this is the last one I've still got one more update in this story. What's going on? Is Hana back from the dead? How long does Ichigo have to live and what will Kisshu give to protect her? Read on to find out!**

Kisshu stared in mixed horror and disbelief at the child by Marthox's side. Her amber eyes stared somberly out at the group and she clung to Marthox's hand. He used his free hand to pat her head reassuringly.

"What is wrong Kisshu? Do you not like my surprise?" The white haired alien grinned devilishly. "Maybe we need to refresh your memory. This is Hana, she is seven years old. She is also your little sister."

Ichigo watched as Kish swallowed, his mouth opening in a wordless grimace. She reached out for him but he jerked forward. His hand stretched toward his sister, not spanning the space between them but showing his desperation.

"Hana died." He said slowly, his hand falling back to his side. Everyone was quiet as a loud laugh came from the rebel leader. He ruffled the girl's dark blue hair affectionately, turning his gaze back to Kisshu.

"This girl? No she did not die. She was wounded enough to look it, and the end of the sword was coated in a sedative to keep her still for a while. Then of course we came back for her body before you could burn it."

The Ikisatashi's paled as they remembered the ceremony. It was customary in Cyniclon culture to burn the bodies of those who had died in combat on a funeral pyre and Hana had been given the honor. They all agreed she deserved it for trying to fight off her attacker. The body would be wrapped in a cloth symbolizing something about them and was not allowed to be seen after it was wrapped. Karma had volunteered to wrap the body, something none of the others had wanted to do.

"Then who did we burn?" Pie asked softly, his voice full of pain and confusion. Marthox gave another laugh, shaking his head in humor.

"Karma allowed us to take the body, of course she thought she was dead, and she wrapped a body we brought her. It was the child of one of the rebels who had died of some disease. Then we brought Hana here and healed her, she lived with us and I adopted her as my little sister." He looked proud at his words and Kisshu hissed when Hana looked happily up at the rebel.

"She is not your sister." He growled, launching himself forward. His swords were aimed at Marthox's chest and his rage made him swift.

Hana raised her hand.

Kisshu's body came to a stop, seemingly frozen in space. The little girl raised her arm and Kish followed. He hovered motionless a few feet above the ground, his eyes the only things moving. She flung her hand down and her brother smashed to the ground, visibly crumpling in pain. Ichigo let out a cry and began to rush to his side but was stopped as Hana turned her eyes on the cat Mew.

Ichigo's pink eyes glazed over and it was obvious she was no longer seeing the scene in front of them. Her lips parted in a silent scream and her hands clawed at her face.

"No! No no no no no!" She screeched. Hana smiled coldly, watching as the Mew was tormented by whatever she saw.

"Stop it!" Kisshu managed to pick himself up, panting heavily from pain. "What are you doing to her?" Marthox smiled at his question and tapped Hana lightly on the shoulder. She turned to look at him, releasing Ichigo from her horrors. Ichigo slumped to the ground, still grasping at her head. The other Mews moved forward and helped her to her feet, supporting her with their bodies.

"We discovered that Hana has a very unique mind. Quite like Taruto's power over plants or Kisshu's ability with chimeras. She has a remarkable ability to reach into the minds of others. You all saw what happened to Kisshu, and what she did to Ichigo was something we had never even heard of before. She simply projected her thoughts into Ichigo's mind." He looked proudly down at the girl, patting her again.

Kisshu backed warily back towards his group, reaching Ichigo quickly. The pink haired girl's eyes were wide and still terrified.

"What did she show you?" He asked quietly, his lips pressed gently against her ear. He saw the tears well up in Ichigo's eyes.

"She was torturing you. She was using her mind to rip you apart." She answered softly, her horror evident in her voice. Kish brushed the hair gently out of her face and turned back to the enemy.

"Hana," He called to his sister. "I'm Kisshu, your brother. You must remember me. At your weapon ceremony when you were five we gave you a sword with your name on it. The day before you and I went to the park and we sat on the swings for hours. You must remember something." His voice softened, begging to his little sister.

"No. My only family is The Providers." She answered shortly. "I have never met you."

Kisshu stared at her in shock, not knowing what to do. A new pounding started in his head, separate from all the pain her already felt. Turning his face to the side, he caught sight of the ghosts. They were all there, all of the ghosts he had ever seen, their hands gesturing towards Hana. Their mouths gaped with words they couldn't say and their eyes warned his of a terrible danger. His own outline reached forward, his fingers almost connecting with Kish's skin. Kish pulled his arm back, watching as the spirit shook his head in disappointment. The outline withdrew back to the crowd of on looking essences and Kisshu turned back to the rebels.

"I will save you Hana and you will remember." He promised, cheers of agreement coming from behind him. Marthox scoffed, rolling his eyes in contempt.

"Can you not see Kisshu? With our weapon you cannot possibly defeat us." He crowed, his eyes taking on a sadistic gleam. "By the end of the day you will all be dead and I will rule the Cyniclons!"

His army cheered behind him, sounding loudly through the quiet city. Kisshu turned again to his troops and spoke soft but strong.

"I would not blame anyone who left now. It is okay to be afraid." He stopped looking at all the faces of his group. They shook their heads determinedly and waited for him to continue. "Then we shall fight. Pie you…"

Pie cut him off. "I may be hurt but I can still hold my own." He said, raising his fan. He hovered slightly in the air, wincing at the effort it took to do so. Kisshu nodded and turned to Ryou but the human spoke before he could say anything.

"I can fight as well." He pulled a pair of short swords from their sheaths strapped around his legs. Kisshu nodded again.

"I want one Mew by them both at all times. We're still badly outnumbered but hopefully Toge's group will…" He was cut off again, but this time it was a different voice.

"Kisshu!" Toge's voice rang out as he and his forces hurried down the street. They looked shocked as they took in the enemy troops. Toge started to say something to Kish but stopped when he caught sight of Hana.

"What the…" he trailed off, having no words to explain. Kish grunted grimly.

"It's a long story." The two groups merged together and Kish turned to face the larger gathering.

"We are still outnumbered but I have no doubt we'll be able to defeat them. Remember we are fighting for our lives and the lives of our people. You fight for your families and your friends. You fight for each other." He said, his eyes blazing with strength and passion.

"But what about Hana?" Ryou asked. Kisshu hesitated, glancing back to the child. It had been two years but she still looked the same. She was still that tiny little girl Kisshu had pushed on the swing and sang to sleep every night. She was still his sister.

"Leave her to me." He commanded.

The group moved quickly back towards the camp. There was no point in going quietly as the enemy already knew they were there.

"Stay as close together as possible. There are more of them so they will need more room to fight. Hopefully their large number will confuse them and work to our advantage." Kisshu instructed. He unsheathed his swords and swung them experimentally through the air. A black cat tail whisked across his cheek and he turned to find Ichigo standing next to him.

"Please be safe Kisshu. I can only do this if you promise me you will survive." Her pink eyes burned into his, trying to force something he knew he couldn't give.

"I can make no promises about my life but I can promise you that I will not let you die." He responded, his amber eyes containing just as much fire. She scowled but it softened, her lips meeting his. Something warm coursed through their veins, cementing them together. It started at their lips and quickly burned its way through their bodies. Kisshu knew that no one else would ever ignite a fire within him. He knew he had to save her.

"Kisshu, it's time." Tart appeared by his adoptive brother's side. The sun's rays had just begun peeking above the horizon, shining slightly behind the dark city skyline. In the soft light, Ichigo took one last long look at Kish's face, memorizing the lines of it. Her fingers brushed softly over his skin, remembering the feel of it.

"I love you." She whispered, her bell jingling lightly in the slight wind of dawn. His amber eyes glowed down at her, a light against the grime of his face.

"I love you too Ichigo. Always have, always will." His words soothed her, reminding her what she was going to fight for.

What she was going to die for.

**Blah! I just can't seem to end this story. Every time I think I'm getting ready to finish it I just can't! Idk what's wrong with me. Oh whale…. So I'm going to estimate there will be at least two more chapters, but that's just a guess. I might get lucky and be able to finish it next chapter! **

**As always, please follow/favorite/review and let me know what you think!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Shadow Kissed Chapter 20- The Battle Of Ichigo City Part 4**

**So this may or may not be the last chapter. I make no promises. I'm kind of making it up as I go along so I honestly have no clue where this is going to end. I don't think much introduction is needed so let's just get on with the story!**

The rebel army stood ready at the gate to the park, their weapons out and their faces gleaming with anticipation. They moved to meet Kisshu's group as they converged in the city center. As bodies clashed around him Kish tried to keep Ichigo in his sight, not wanting to lose her in the chaos.

The troops were doing their best to stick close to one another but the sheer force of the rebels drove them apart. Marthox had disappeared into the fighting, taking Hana with him.

"Kish!" Ichigo called, pushing her way through the throng to his side. "He took her back towards the middle of the camp." She whirled to lash out at a rebel. She hissed in satisfaction as he stumbled away.

"Go get her. We'll be fine." The Mew leader promised, her pink eyes barely concealing her worry. Kisshu opened his mouth to say something but then nodded sharply and pulled Ichigo in for a swift kiss. He took off into the fight.

"RIBBON STRAWBERRY SURPRISE!" he heard her scream behind him. Ducking various weapons, he quickly made his way towards the middle of the camp. It was strangely quiet as he moved further into the camp. The sound of fighting muted in the background and he searched for Marthox in almost dead silence. The green haired alien stooped to peak through a tent flap and finding nothing, he stood up.

"Thank you for joining us Kisshu." He turned to find Marthox hovering over the tent.

"Where's Hana?" Kisshu's voice was cold, his swords gripped in his fists. Marthox smiled and gestured behind Kish. He saw a flash of movement from the corner of his eye and was suddenly unable to move. His body turned involuntarily and he found himself facing his young sister. The girl smiled frostily, lifting her hand so that Kisshu was now held a few feet above the ground.

"Kill him Marthox." She demanded and Marthox agreed. Kisshu squeezed his eyes shut, waiting to feel cold steel pierce his skin.

Instead there was a commotion behind him and a gasp came from Hana. Kish was dropped to the ground, smacking the hard packed dirt painfully. He rolled over to see what had happened.

A lithe shape was wrapped around Marthox, squeezing the air from his lungs. As the Providers leader thrashed around Kish caught sight of the assailant's face.

"Karma!" He gasped. His adoptive sister threw him a glace, her face grim but determined. Marthox's pale skin was taking on a blue tinge and the boy's struggles were weakening.

Suddenly, Karma froze. She was flung away from Marthox and hung rigidly in the air above the tents. Hana stood by the rebel, tears wetting her cheeks as she watched him gasp for air. Bruises were already forming on his neck from Karma's hands.

Once Hana had assured herself that Marthox was alright, she turned to Karma. Motioning with her hand, she brought the older girl closer, leaving her hovering a good ways above the ground.

"You almost killed him." She hissed.

Hana flicked her wrist, her eyes burning with anger. Kisshu watched in mute horror as Karma's neck twisted at an impossible angle. Hana dropped her hand, allowing the body to drop to the ground.

"No!" Kish yelled, launching himself forward to catch her. Karma's stared up at him lifelessly, no sign of the light they had once held. He clutched the body to him and scrambled away from the scene. Hana was too preoccupied with Marthox to notice his retreat.

The green haired Cyniclon slowed as he approached the battle, the sound of clashing weapons reaching his ears. He gently laid his burden down, tucking her behind a tent to keep her safe.

"I forgive you." He promised her. He trailed is hand over her face, softly closing her eyes. Wiping moisture from his cheek, Kish turned back to the fight. Letting out an anguished cry, he raised his swords and threw himself into the fray.

Ichigo slumped back down as she released another attack. Her eyes flickered as they struggled to stay open. She didn't know how much longer she could fight. The other Mews moved around her, seemingly full of energy and strength, but she had barely enough energy to raise her Strawberry Bell again, much less pull off another attack.

Another rebel troop approached her, wielding a nasty looking club. Barbed spikes adorned the metal tip and the assailant grinned as he spun it easily through the air. Ichigo lifted her Strawberry Bell and tried to remember the words. Her head spun and a new pounding pain entered her temple.

"Bye bye kitty." The brute laughed, raising his club.

"Ichigo!" A voice screamed and she was shoved to the side. Grunting in pain, she rolled over on the ground. A blur of movement showed where she had been standing moments before and she caught sight of something green. Something moved in the corner of her vision and she turned her head to see a pale outline of herself kneeling towards her. A thought wriggled in the back of her mind, something about touching the spirit. The outline reached its hand out and Ichigo tentatively stretched towards it.

"Ichigo no!" A voice yelled. The voice was full of fear and love but Ichigo couldn't remember where she had heard it before. Everything was so blurry. Except the spirit.

Their fingers met.

Kish's head pounded as he struggled to make his way towards Ichigo. He had to get to her before she touched the ghost. He knew she needed to die to save them but he was too selfish to let her do it. If she died, it wouldn't matter if they won this battle. He refused to live without her.

"Ichigo no!" He screamed, watching as her fingers moved forward to grip the pale hand. He pushed past the last fighter and reached her side just as her fingers met the spirit's.

She disappeared.

"Ichigo!" He cried, looking frantically around the battlefield. "Ichigo!"

There was no sign of his beautiful Mew and as he searched over the crowd he knew she was gone. He grasped his swords, turning to find someone.

He would avenge her.

Ichigo opened her eyes to see a park. Trees and flowers bloomed while fuzzy bees buzzed lazily through the air. A magnificent fountain stood in the middle, flooding its base with crystal blue water. Soft grass waved slightly in the warm breeze. Everything was colorful and Ichigo felt happiness fill her as she looked at it all.

"Welcome." A voice called. She turned to see a large group of spirits gathered behind her, the pale outlines of herself, Kish, Pie and Tart at the front. The faces were the ones she had seen before with one exception.

"Karma?" She called, seeing the twin standing near Masaya. The girl looked happy, more happy than Ichigo had ever seen her. Her face was calm and serene with no trace of the guilt she had before.

"Look around you." The voice said again. Ichigo realized it was not just one voice, but all of the ghosts speaking together. The cat Mew obeyed them, turning to look again at the beautiful sight.

"Where am I? It's beautiful." She turned back to face the spirits.

"This is the same park you are fighting in. This is how it should look." The group said. Ichigo nodded, recognizing the arch that served as the gateway.

"Am I dead?" She asked. The spirits shook their heads, some letting out small chuckles.

"No Ichigo, you are not dead. You are simply here to regain the energy- the part of you- that you lost in the battle against Deep Blue. After you have received that and the information you will need, you may return to your friends." The spirits assured her. Her outline stepped forward and grasped Ichigo's hand. She led her over to a bench and Ichigo looked back to see that the others had disappeared.

"Ichigo you must kill Marthox."Her outline told her, her eyes dark and serious.

"But what about Hana? I won't even be able to get close to him if she's there." Ichigo protested, wincing as she remembered what the girl had done to her.

"Kisshu will take care of Hana." The spirit answered calmly, brushing a pale red strand of hair from her face. Ichigo's eyes widened at the news.

"Kisshu can't kill his own sister! Let him kill Marthox and I'll try to take Hana." The Mew bargained, knowing Kish would never be able to hurt his little sister. The spirit hissed and her eyes turned a fiery red.

"No!"It yelled, its voice suddenly deep and menacing. "Your destiny is to kill Marthox. Kisshu has his own fate and he must meet it and you must meet yours."

Ichigo flinched, pulling away from the angry phantom. The specter calmed itself, its eyes returning to their pale maroon color.

"You must kill Marthox. It is the only way." It told her again. Ichigo silently nodded her head, not wanting to anger the spirit again.

"If you do not succeed, the rebels will win and the Cyniclon nation will fall. The Mews will be killed, along with all of the Ikisatashis, and the Providers' next target will be Earth." Ichigo listened in mute horror, knowing that whatever she did in battle would affect her friends and family.

"Now you will receive the energy and be returned to battle. Do not fail Ichigo." The outline said, leaning in. Its skin gave off a slight golden glow and as it approached Ichigo, the light strengthened. Its fingers reached her hand and Ichigo gasped as they disappeared inside her body. She felt as the rest of the spirit followed, sinking into her skin and renewing her.

The sound of fighting reached her ears and she felt the hard ground beneath her back. Pushing herself up, she found her Strawberry Bell already gripped in her hand.

"Ichigo!" A voice called and this time she easily recognized Kish's voice. The green haired Cyniclon rushed towards her, his face bright with relief. He pulled her to his chest and lightly kissed the top of her head. "What happened?"

"I united with my death." She explained. "I received the part of me I lost when I died. And I found out what I must do."

A pounding started in her head again and she watched as a pale Kish appeared next to him. The real Kisshu looked questioningly at her. She nodded, watching as he took a deep breath and stretched his hand out to touch the spirit.

He disappeared.

Kisshu found himself in a dark room, a group of figures huddled in the corner. His outline was standing by his side, staring grimly at the scene. The pale spirit turned to look at him, his voice sad and lonely.

"It is time for you to see the truth."

**So this is obviously not the last chapter but hopefully the next one will be. I really shouldn't have let this get so out of hand but I did so… oh whale. Please follow/favorite/review and let me know what you think!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Shadow Kissed Chapter 21- The Battle of Ichigo City Part 5**

**Once again this may or may not be the last chapter. Probably not since there's still a lot of stuff that our characters have to do. I am going to warn you that the latter half of this chapter will be slightly disturbing (at least in my opinion) so just wanted to warn you. So without further ado, let's start!**

"RIBBON MINT ECHO!"

Mint dropped back to the ground, panting with exertion. The fight was still raging even though the sun was well into the sky.

"Mint behind you!" Ryou screamed and Mint turned to face another attacker. As she lifted her bow, a hand grabbed her shoulder and the feeling of cold metal pressed into the skin at her neck. Ryou froze, but lifted his short swords menacingly. He knew he was no match for these trained soldiers, but for her, he would take on the whole army.

"Take one more step and the bird girl dies." Mint's attacker growled, flashing his fangs in a sadistic grin. He ran the flat edge of the blade across her cheek. "What a pretty little birdie. After I kill the puny little human I might just take you home and put you in a cage. You'd be great entertainment."

Ryou's blood boiled, painting his face an angry shade of red. Lunging forward, he swung up, connecting with the assailant's hand. The blade was knocked from the enemy's grasp and Ryou flung himself on top of him. He abandoned his swords in favor of his fists, his knuckles smashing into the guy's face. As his fist connected once again with the man's nose, turning it at a sickening angle and letting loose a flow of blood, he felt delicate hands prying him off. He turned in anger, only to find Mint. Her hands cupped his face and she stared into his eyes.

"Ryou, you are better than that. Let him go." She said evenly, watching as the anger drained from his features. Before she could say anything else, he crashed his lips to hers. A spark traveled through both of them and it took them a few seconds to remember they were still in the heat of battle. They parted, exhausted grins mirroring each other.

"I don't know if I ever told you this but I really, really like you." Ryou chuckled. Mint opened her mouth to respond but was suddenly pushed to the side as a new assailant made himself known. She grinned at Ryou and they both plunged back into the fray.

***To Ichigo***

Ichigo moved quickly through the chaos, attempting to find Pie and Taruto. She finally spotted the oldest Ikisatashi, leaning precariously on Lettuce and using his good arm to fight with his fan. The cat Mew dodged a flailing arm and hurried to his side.

"Pie!" She called over the din of fighting. He glanced at her, trying to keep his focus on the attack.

"I'll cover you!" Lettuce promised, allowing the alien to hobble closer to Ichigo. He waited for her to catch her breath before asking what she needed.

"You've got to touch your ghost." He opened his mouth to protest but she held up her hand. "Just trust me. I've already done it and Kisshu did too. They give you your strength back and they'll tell you what you need to do to win the battle." She explained. He hesitated but then nodded, closing his eyes momentarily. Pain rushed into both of their heads, signaling the arrival of the spirit. A faint Pie stood near them, beckoning silently to the live one. Pie took one last look at Ichigo, his eyes searching hers before giving a sharp nod and moving towards the apparition. He reluctantly stretched out a hand, his fingers coming into cold contact with the specter's. In the blink of an eye, he was gone.

Lettuce cried out, turning from her fight to see where Pie had gone.

"He's fine. Don't worry I promise." Her leader reassured her. Though Lettuce was extremely worried about the fact that her boyfriend had just disappeared into thin air, she focused on the situation at hand.

Ichigo continued through the throng on people, looking for both Pudding and Tart. She knew that Tart wouldn't leave the yellow Mew's side, and wherever she was fighting, so would he be. A wall of gelatin rose up in front of Ichigo and she knew she was in the right place. She rounded the giant dessert, that was speckled with enemy soldiers, and found an exhausted but proud looking Pudding. Taruto was making his way through a group of a dozen large piles of gelatin, smacking them with his click-clack weapon. The weapon came in contact with the sweet, sending some sort of shock through it and turning it, men and all, into a pile of sweet smelling ashes.

"Tart!" She called, his weapon clacking together as he stopped.

"Ichigo look what Taru-Taru and Pudding figured out! Taru-Taru has to hit the pudding quick or it melts but it's easier than trying to fight them all." The young girl boasted. The Mew leader nodded in acknowledgement and turned to the young alien.

"You must touch your ghost. Just trust me. You must hurry." She said. Surprisingly, he nodded and, without any further questioning, closed his eyes, summoning the spirit. The familiar headache began and the faint outline appeared at Taruto's side. He leaned over, his fingers brushing the ghost's arm and immediately both disappeared.

"Taru-Taru!" Pudding screeched, launching herself over to where the boy had stood moments before. "Ichigo what happened to Taru-Taru?" She cried, searching for her friend.

"Pudding he is fine. I will stay here to help you until he gets back." The monkey Mew was comforted with the older girl's assurance and quickly returned to enveloping her assailants in the jello-like substance. As Ichigo geared up to Strawberry Check the gelatin, she looked out towards the battle.

"Kisshu please be safe."

***Kisshu's Spirit World***

The room lightened a bit as Kisshu's eyes adjusted to the dimness. The figures were mumbling from their huddle and even Kisshu's sensitive ears strained to catch what they were saying. The spirit snapped his fingers and suddenly, Kisshu could hear everything.

"He's absolutely crazy for thinking this will work. I mean ghosts? Come on!" One figure snorted, tossing his head in annoyance. Kish recognized him as a soldier from the battle, and as he glimpsed the rest of the faces, he realized they were all soldiers in Marthox's army.

"Shut it! If he hears you talking like that he'll have you killed. And I know most of the people in the Provider's wouldn't mind shutting you up permanently." Another spoke up. They all quieted as a door at the opposite end of the room opened. Marthox strode in, his white head held high and his pale features flushed with excitement. The rebel looked younger somehow and Kisshu figured this was a flashback to a few years ago. He gripped a bundle in his hands and as he approached the group, they seemed to flinch back.

"Are you ready to create the ultimate weapon?" He asked. The gathered soldiers cheered in agreement, stepping away from a metal table that had been placed in the middle of the room. Marthox set his bundle on the table and it fell open to reveal a pile of bloody fabric. The group stared at the cloths and Kish realized they were actually someone's clothes. The spirit gazed sorrowfully at the pile and Kish began to question him but Marthox's voice cut him off.

"The spirit will be called by the scent of its own blood. We just have to wait." He crossed his arms over his chest and stared expectantly at the gory clothes. A few seconds passed in silence and the soldiers looked at each other questioningly.

Suddenly, they all gripped their heads, bowing over in pain. Marthox managed to stay upright, though he too grimaced in agony. A small figure appeared by the table, fingers reaching out to grasp the clothes. Marthox grinned triumphantly and stumbled over to the spirit.

"I know you want to touch the clothes that were the last thing you remember from being alive. They are your last connection to the real world." The figure nodded excitedly, reaching again for the fabrics but seemed to not be able to grasp them. "But first you must drink of the living."

Kisshu watched in horror as Marthox lifted his wrist to his mouth and dashed the skin across one of his fangs. Scarlet blood pooled on his white skin and he lifted his arm invitingly to the figure. It hesitated but took the wounded limb and placed it to its lips.

Color started to appear in the figure, to reveal it to be wearing the same clothes, minus the blood, as were on the table. It released the arm, turning to grip the clothes in its hands. A sick feeling of realization came over the green haired alien as he watched the proceedings.

"Who am I and what has happened to me?" A light girly voice pleaded. Marthox smiled evilly and patted the girl on the head.

"Your name is Hana. You were killed when you were only five years old but I have brought you back. I will protect you and I will keep you alive. You can never be fully living again, but I will keep you from returning to spirit form. I will teach you and love you as my own family. We will be each other's family." He promised. Hana smiled gently up at him, remembering nothing of her previous life nor that she was staring at her very killer, as most of the young dead never do.

The image faded out, leaving both the faint and real Kish standing in a beautiful, warm clearing.

"Do you understand Kisshu? She is not alive and she is no longer your little sister. You must kill her." His outline demanded. The Cyniclon hesitated, dread filling him as he thought of losing his sister again.

"I can't. I can't kill her. I can't lose Hana again." He murmured. The ghost's eyes filled with sympathy.

"She is not Hana. She is a creation of Marthox. The way to save Hana is by letting her spirit go and letting her spirit be with her family once again. You can reunite her with your parents. Her true spirit is trapped in creature Marthox has created out of her. Kisshu you can and you must kill her. It is the only way to save her and it is the only way to save yourself."

Kish nodded, knowing that the spirit was right. Gentle little Hana would never have killed Karma, no matter how angry she might have been. Hana would have seen Kish and giggled, begging him for a piggy-back. She would have run over to Tart to check his pockets for any sweets he might have missed and then rushed to Pie to ask if he could be the one to read her a story that evening.

Everything about the girl with Marthox was the exact opposite of Hana.

Kisshu knew what he had to do.

**Aaand yet another cliffie. Sorry not sorry. I keep thinking I can end this story but every time I try I end up writing even more and it just keeps going. Hopefully this will be finished before summer's out so I can start on Love is a Poison (which will be updated on Mondays) and Into The Deep (Which will be updated on Thursdays) (unless I decide to change that) I must start a schedule for updates because I'm taking some hard classes this year and I want to make sure I'm not slacking off…**

**Please review and let me know what you think of this chapter and what you think is going to happen!**

**P.s. I wrecked my mom's car yesterday :/ woops**


	23. Chapter 23

**Shadow Kissed Chapter 22: The End**

**I'm hoping by titling this "The End" it will give me some incentive to actually end this story. I can't explain it but I start each chapter (the past few) meaning to wrap everything up but I just can't seem to. As explained last chapter, Love Is A Poison will be updated on Mondays and Into The Deep will be updated on Thursdays. Please please please let me know what you've thought of Shadow Kissed because there may be a surprise in store though I can't tell you what it is….**

Kisshu appeared in the midst of the fighting, searching momentarily for Ichigo. He glimpsed the cat Mew destroying Pudding's gelatin creations. He watched as Taruto appeared nearly on top of Pudding, causing her to trip. The young Cyniclon caught her and even from where he was standing, Kish could see he held her with gentleness and care. The green haired alien caught Ichigo's eye and flashed her a toothy grin, watching as she began to make her way over to him. Kish quickly looked around, locating the rest of his troops. Keeka and Toge fought side by side while Toge's troops were making quick work of the enemy. Pie had rejoined Lettuce and was fighting well even though he was injured. Zakuro fought near Mint who was back to back with Ryou, the powerless human proving to be skilled with his swords.

Ichigo pushed through the last of the fighters, grinning in relief as she approached Kish. Opening her mouth to ask him what he had learned, she glimpsed something small stepping out of the shadows. Hana smiled, lifting her hand. The Mew felt her throat close up forcibly and her feet lift of the ground. Her gloved hands clawed at her neck, begging for air. Kish yelled and teleported to her side, attempting to help her but to no avail.

Suddenly, Ichigo's body flew through the air, landing somewhere in the jumble of tents. Kisshu flew after her though he was not fast enough to keep up with her. Hana teleported in front of her tent, bringing Ichigo to a stop but keeping her struggling in the air. Flicking her hand slightly, she allowed the girl to pull in one breath of air before closing off her wind pipe again. Ichigo thrashed above the ground but was weakening.

Kisshu stopped, hovering above the ground a few feet in front of Hana. He looked at the girl who used to be his sister. The child wore her face but the mind was purely something of Marthox's creation.

"Hana." He whispered. Something flickered over the girl's face, showing maybe she wasn't completely gone. Kisshu knew that connecting to her real spirit was the only chance he had.

"Let her go. You don't have to do this." He said evenly. A sneer crossed Hana's face and she tossed her head proudly.

"You want to destroy the only family I have, I do have to do this." She growled, tightening her mental grip on Ichigo's throat. Kish quieted, wondering if he was wrong, but as Ichigo kicked above them, he fancied he saw some regret in his sister's eyes.

"That's not true. I am your family." He moved a little closer, rubbing his neck.

"Liar!" The blue haired girl hissed. Kish kept calm, knowing he had to keep her talking and he had to get Ichigo down.

"I am your family. I am Kisshu Ikisatashi and you are Hana Ikisatashi. Our parents were Lila Ikisatashi and Otoko Ikisatashi but they were killed when our underground home collapsed on them when you were two. We were adopted by our father's brother's family which consists of Oji Ikisatashi, Oba Ikisatashi, Pie, Keeka and her twin Karma and Taruto. You were…"

"Enough talking!" She screamed, her face turning red as she cut him off. She gripped her head, swinging from side to side. "No no no no…" She whispered.

In her frustration she dropped Ichigo to the ground. Kisshu moved to catch her but realized he couldn't stop talking to Hana.

"Hana," He called softly and the young girl looked up at him, her eyes switching from hard to soft and back again.

"I don't know you! I don't know you!" She yelled, her face contorting in pain and confusion.

"Marthox killed you and the he brought your spirit back so he could manipulate it." Kish said, moving towards the frantic child. Her head snapped up, her eyes hardening in anger.

"No." It was only one word, but it was a word so full of anger and hate. Kish knew she was gone, that the spirit trapped in that body was manipulated past recognition.

Marthox peeked out of the tent and saw that Kisshu was preoccupied with Hana. Seeing his opportunity, he slipped silently out, raising his sword and creeping behind his enemy. His sword poised to come down, he growled in anger when a spinning pink think smashed into it, knocking it from his grasp.

"You look a little tired to be picking a fight with me cat." He spat, turning towards Ichigo. She raised her hand to grab her Strawberry Bell as it flew back towards her. Marthox's dark eyes burned as he regarded the Mew, he would relish defeating her.

"Yeah well." She didn't bother thinking of a comeback. Instead she raised her Strawberry Bell.

"RIBBON STRAWBERRY SURPRISE!"

Marthox flew up, barely escaping the attack.

"Don't you have any new tricks cat?" He smirked, though it turned out as more of a glare. Raising his sword, he charged her, bearing quickly down on the Mew. Ichigo yelped as she dove out of the way, the end of his sword shearing off an inch of her pink hair.

Time seemed to slow and Marthox stood motionlessly, though posed as though he was still on the attack. Ichigo looked to see Kish and Hana in a similar fashion, stopped in the middle of what they had been doing. Shapes started appearing next to her and she recognized the ghosts as she quickly glanced at them. A few new forms had joined them, some of Toge's special ops gazed fiercely from the ranks. Two spirits stepped forward, a middle aged couple. They smiled gently at Ichigo and she was struck by the similarity of the man and Kisshu.

"I am Otoko Ikisatashi and this is my wife Lila. We are Kisshu and Hana's parents." The man spoke, gesturing towards his companion. Ichigo nodded politely and opened her mouth to introduce herself, though they obviously already knew who she was. Lila signaled for her silence though and Ichigo closed her mouth without saying anything.

"You already know your purpose here but there is something else." Lila said solemnly. "You will not win with your normal style of fighting. The final transformation will be here." They ghosts started to fade, leaving a confused Ichigo.

"Wait what do you…aahhhh!" She screamed as everything jumped back into motion and Marthox was suddenly hurtling towards her. The cat Mew used her Bell to deflect the blow but as soon as the metal hit her weapon and pink light shot out.

Light enveloped Ichigo, bathing her in a hot pink glow. It wrapped around her body, clothing her in a flowing pink gown with long, loose sleeves, that reached her ankles. Her hair flowed freely, growing down her back and floating in the glow of light. A crown of pink gems encircled her head.

In her hand, her Strawberry Bell went through its own transformation. It elongated into an elegant sword with a white wrapped hilt and a pink gem set into the bottom. Words were etched into the metal:

Faith

Love

Justice

Truth

Ichigo emerged from the light, gripping her new weapon and looking like a warrior princess. Marthox stared in astonishment at the transformation, but shook his head and readied for another attack. He rushed her, a battle cry leaving his lips as he raised his sword.

The Mew deflected his charge easily, responding with a dash of her own that slashed through his shirt but narrowly missed the skin of his stomach.

"You have caused great harm Marthox." She spoke in a voice that was both her own and not. It had a ring to it, containing the voices of the ghosts who had brought her here. There was a hint of Lila, Otoko, Karma, Toge's troops and all of the others who had been trampled by Marthox's ambition. "You will no longer torment the innocent people of this world. Your time has come."

Just as he opened his mouth to retort, Warrior Ichigo lunged forward and plunged her sword into his chest. He sputtered, slumping to the ground as she pulled her weapon out. His eyes rolled back in his head, his face contorted with rage and hatred.

Then it was over. The breath left his body in a final huff, eye lids closing. The pink light flashed quickly out, returning Ichigo to her human form and her sword turned back into her Strawberry Bell. Ichigo slid to the ground in exhaustion.

Hana's eyes flicked past Kisshu to see Marthox's final breath. Her mouth gaped open in silent horror as she saw him die.

"No!" She screamed, rage and sorrow filling her face. Things began flying around her, the air swirling with her grief. Tents, weapons and people spun around in her own little tornado, Ichigo's tired body being sucked into the current as well.

Kisshu was close enough to the girl that, though the wind tugged on him, he managed to stay where he stood.

"Hana." He called trying to get her attention. The girl screamed, a wordless echo of her anger.

"Hana listen to me!" He tried again, having to yell over the din of her storm. She ignored him, her eyes hard and almost lifeless. They stared at nothing and showed no sign of the little girl Kish once knew. He stepped closer, each step its own struggle as the maelstrom pulled on him. The storm expanded, pulling in innocent civilians and other debris.

Kisshu reached her, he leaned down to try and look into her eyes. Blue voids greeted him, deep pits of nothing. He cupped her cheek in one hand, trying to call back whatever part of his little sister he could.

"Hana." He called once more. Something flickered in her eyes and for a split second they held the happy life they used to.

"Save me. Save them." She begged, before the lifeless eyes reappeared. The storm's speed picked up, nearly pulled Kish off of his feet.

Suddenly it all stopped, the people and debris falling to the ground, sore and scared but alive for the most part. Ichigo picked herself up in time to see Hana slump onto her brother's chest.

Kisshu bit back a sob as he pulled one of his swords from Hana's chest. Her eyes flickered between life and nothing.

"Thank you." She whispered. Her eyes closed and the air left her lungs for the last time.

Kish broke then, no longer containing his sobs as he bent over the body of his sister. He bent forward, tears falling onto her cheek as he kissed it. Then her body disappeared from his grasp, turning into a wisp that smiled gently at Kisshu before fading into the darkening sky.

The green haired Cyniclon buried his head in his hands, the sound of his sobs echoing across the park.

Ichigo moved towards him, desperately wanting to comfort him but knowing there wasn't anything she could say to make it better.

"Don't." He demanded. That one word, full of anger and sorrow, was enough to make her stop in her tracks. "Just don't."

Kisshu looked back at all of the troops, friend and foe, they all stared at him sympathetically. He looked down at his hands, and though nothing was there, in his eyes they would always be stained with his little sister's blood.

Kisshu took one last look at his friends and family, and teleported away.

**Ugh that was very hard for me to write because I was crying. Sorry if I've depressed you with that last bit cause I know I depressed myself. The epilogue will be up in the next few days and then I'll be starting my new story and my sequel to OTDE. **

**Please, please, please let me know what you thought of this chapter and what you thought of this series as a whole. It's greatly appreciated!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Shadow Kissed Epilogue- Gone**

**Thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing Shadow Kissed. I've loved writing it and listening to all of your suggestions. I can't wait to start on my next stories but I will miss this one :') I love you all and hope you've enjoyed this story as much as I have! I'm posting this today because I won't be home tomorrow until late **

Kisshu turned over, the cold rock pulling him from another nightmare. He hadn't slept soundly through the night in weeks. Aspects of his dreams would change but they all ended the same way- with him killing his little sister. He pushed himself into a sitting position and stared out of the cave entrance and into the dark rainy forest.

The devastated alien had returned to earth right after the battle, not being able to face his family and friends after what he had to do. He wasn't sure where he was or how long he had been there but he knew a few things:

He missed Ichigo so badly it hurt

He hated himself for killing Hana

He was dying

At some point during the battle he had received a huge gash in his leg, though his adrenaline had kept him from feeling it until afterwards. He could feel the infection in his leg, rendering it nearly useless. Whenever he moved a searing pain rush through his body and he had to fight unconsciousness each time.

With the wound in his leg, he wasn't able to travel far from his "home". He gathered food from the nearby bushes and trees but they weren't enough to sustain an adult Cyniclon for long. Kisshu already looked gaunt, his eyes were sunken and glazed.

But the worst part was, he had lost the will to live.

He hadn't left the cave to look for food in at least two days. The only reason he wasn't dehydrated was because there was a small runoff pool in the corner of his cave. He had never felt more alone in his life.

His head swam but he wasn't sure if it was from hunger or sleep deprivation. A blinding pain slowly moved across his temple, crumpling him to the stone floor.

"Kisshu." A voice whispered and he groaned as he turned to see a specter. He easily recognized his mother, her gentle face looking sorrowfully at him.

"Mom?" He asked, his sounding painfully weak even to him. His mother reached out and he felt the softest brush of air against his cheek.

"My son. You're very close to joining us. I do not want you to die in this cave. I love you." She said quietly. She opened her arms for a hug and Kisshu moved closer.

His mouth opened in a wordless scream as he looked up. His mother's face morphed into a bloody, decomposing mess, her hair falling from her head and bugs scuttling across her skin.

Then she crumbled into dust.

Kish gasped as he jerked awake on the floor of the cave. He could feel that the heat from his infected leg had moved up through his body. A cold sweat dripped along his skin and he struggled to keep his eyes open. He could feel it. His mother was right.

He was about to die.

**Once again, thank you so much for reading Shadow Kissed. I have loved this story so much and hope you have too! Thanks to everyone who has favorited/followed/reviewed and supported this story. **

**The End**


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